Chapter 27: Duncan, Watch My Windmill Dunk

After all the games ended that day, Wade Dong looked at the Western Conference standings.

Spurs: 66-9

Thunder: 64-12

Lakers: 59-17

Grizzlies: 54-22

Clippers: 54-23

Nuggets: 53-24

Mavericks: 47-29

Jazz: 44-32

Suns: 43-33

Rockets: 42-34

The Suns were only one game behind the eighth-place Jazz in the West, which seemed easy, but it was still very difficult to enter the top eight in the West.

In the remaining six games, the Suns had to face six opponents, all of which were top-eight teams in the West. This included two games against the first-place Spurs, one game against the second-place Thunder, as well as games against the Clippers, Nuggets, and a crucial game against the Jazz.

In contrast, the Jazz's next six opponents included only two top-eight teams in the West, making their schedule much easier than the Suns'.

Wade Dong's ten-day short contract was about to expire.

With the ten-day contract, he scored 37, 31, 39, and 37 points in four games, averaging 36 points per game.

This season, the NBA scoring leader was Durant, who averaged 28 points per game. Wade Dong averaged 8 points more than him.

After the contract expired, Wade Dong also signed a short-term contract worth five million dollars with the team. This prevented other teams from trying to poach Wade Dong, as even the wealthiest teams wouldn't dare offer such a contract.

If the Jazz remained undefeated in their next six games, except for the game against the Suns, the Suns would also need to win all their games to make the playoffs.

...

As soon as the game ended, the Suns flew to San Antonio.

They had to play back-to-back games against the first-place Spurs without Nash.

Before the game, the Spurs studied Wade Dong's game footage. After watching, all the players fell silent!

This Chinese kid, who suddenly entered the NBA, became famous after just four games.

After watching the game footage, even the crafty Popovich couldn't think of a way to limit Wade Dong. Wade Dong had shown superb offensive skills, ironclad defense, and excellent passing ability.

This made Popovich feel like he was facing Kobe.

Especially in the last game, Wade Dong used Scola's footwork five times in a row to score against the Rockets' interior defense. This gave Popovich a headache.

The Spurs' interior defense had also suffered from Scola's footwork, which was Scola's signature move in the NBA. Wade Dong used it even better than Scola.

"The Suns only have Wade Dong, no need to worry!"

As the game was about to start, Popovich put aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind, "Basketball is a team sport. The Suns only have Wade Dong. We can beat the Suns without any problems."

...

As the players warmed up on the court, Wade Dong saw Duncan and shouted, "Hey, Duncan!"

"Hmm?"

Duncan turned to look at Wade Dong.

"Watch my windmill dunk!"

Wade Dong shouted, dribbled the ball a couple of times, jumped, and performed a windmill dunk, slamming the ball into the basket.

Duncan: "???"

Spurs players: "???"

Suns players: "???"

Wade Dong's sudden windmill dunk left all the players on the court feeling awkward.

"Awkward..."

Wade Dong muttered.

He suddenly remembered that this wasn't his previous life, and even in his previous life, Duncan's famous windmill dunk happened in 2014, which hadn't happened yet.

"Hello."

Duncan said to Wade Dong, "You are a great player."

"Thank you, idol~"

Wade Dong said and walked to the sideline, pretending to drink water to hide his embarrassment.

This game was also broadcast live in China. Although everyone hoped Wade Dong could win, the Suns' situation was not looking good. No one thought the Suns, without Nash, could beat the first-place Spurs in the West.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's whistle, the game began!

Right from the start, Wade Dong went into one-on-one mode. He received the ball, made a big fake, broke through Parker's defense, and scored a layup against Duncan's defense, making it a 2+1!

"Wade Dong's offensive desire is very strong today!"

Yu Jia broadcast the game, and from the start, Wade Dong kept attacking the Spurs' interior defense.

The Spurs' defensive efficiency ranked in the top three in the league, but today's Wade Dong was like a sharp knife! The Spurs' defense seemed non-existent to him.

The first quarter ended!

21:23!

The Suns led by two points, with Wade Dong scoring 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Although his shooting percentage was not high, all of Wade Dong's attacks were drives to the basket. Even if he didn't score, he caused the Spurs to foul.

...

In the CCTV broadcast booth.

Yu Jia, "Today, Wade Dong kept attacking the Spurs' interior defense, all with strong drives to the basket, abandoning his usual three-pointers."

Coach Zhang, "Don't you think Wade Dong's style of play today resembles someone?"

Yu Jia, "Iverson! I thought of that right away."

Coach Zhang, "Wade Dong's crossovers are just like Iverson's."

Yu Jia, "Wade Dong is too strong. In the last game, he used Scola's footwork to teach the Rockets' interior defense a lesson."

Coach Zhang, "Wade Dong will definitely become a top-tier star."

Yu Jia, "I think he even has the potential to become the league's number one player."

...

After the first quarter, the Spurs were down by two points.

This situation often happens, but the Spurs never panic. However, today Popovich felt a bit uneasy. Something wasn't right!

The second quarter began.

The Spurs made some adjustments to their lineup. Duncan and Parker were both benched, and Ginobili stayed on the court.

The Suns also made adjustments, but Wade Dong remained on the court. To win this game, Wade Dong had to play without rest.

Ginobili was very strong. As soon as he came on, he scored with a snake-like drive to the basket.

23:23!

The Spurs tied the game.

But this was just the beginning for the Spurs. When Wade Dong got the ball, he continued his one-on-one mode. The reserves' defensive ability was much weaker than the starters, and even with two defenders, Wade Dong still found a way to break through.

Driving to the basket, whether there was one, two, or three defenders,

In Wade Dong's eyes, there was only the basket. He repeatedly scored against two or three defenders.

"Wade Dong is on fire!"

Yu Jia exclaimed, "I can't remember how many times he's fallen to the ground after a layup."

"Three times."

Coach Zhang reminded her.

Yu Jia: <(￣ ﹌ ￣)>

If Coach Zhang weren't a senior, Yu Jia would have wanted to argue. She meant to say how many times Wade Dong had fallen, not the exact number. She was trying to emphasize how hard Wade Dong was playing today.

29:36!!!

Four minutes into the second quarter, Ginobili's reserve team not only failed to close the gap but also saw the lead gradually widen for the Suns.