Chapter 347: The Single-Game Assists Record (Part 1)

Eleven minutes into the first quarter, Alvin Gentry decided to rest Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. 

In the first quarter, Wade Dong didn't attempt a single shot, but more than half of the Suns' points came from his assists.

"I knew it~"

...

As Curry came off the court, Gentry told him, "Before the game, Dong asked me what the single-game assists record was, and I immediately understood what he meant..." ✿✷

Curry had just received a towel and hadn't wiped his sweat yet when he exclaimed, "Is Dong trying to break the single-game assists record?!"

"That shouldn't be too hard," Gentry replied.

"It's reasonable for Dong to break the record since he's a point guard," Curry added.

"I think getting 18 blocks in a game is ridiculous," Durant chimed in.

"What's ridiculous about it? Dong is also a power forward," Thompson said.

"Now that you mention it, breaking the single-game assists record is also reasonable," Curry agreed.

"Do you think Dong can break the single-game assists record?" another player asked.

"As long as he wants to, he can do it. It's not difficult for Dong," Durant replied.

"But you also need your teammates' support. Are you up for it?" asked another player.

"Forget it... Then, you two, Curry and Thompson, stay on the court," Gentry said with a laugh.

"Haha..."

While Dong was still on the court, fighting to win the game, his teammates were sitting on the bench, discussing whether Dong could break the single-game assists record.

"Swish!!!"

As Dong made a mid-range shot, the first quarter came to an end. →

The score was 32-21!

The Suns led by 11 points, and Dong had 2 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the first quarter.

...

After Dong came off the court, Warrick immediately approached him and asked, "Dong, are you trying to break the single-game assists record today?"

"It's too difficult..."

Dong shook his head, "I think it's unlikely."

Carter smiled, "After all, it's a historical record, not something you can easily break."

The NBA's single-game assists record was 30, and Dong already had 9 assists in the first quarter, so he could potentially break it. However, the first quarter is when teammates have the best shooting touch and highest shooting percentage.

As the game progresses into the second half, teammates' shooting percentages tend to drop, which reduces the number of assists. Therefore, it's not a simple arithmetic problem of 4*9=36.

...

The second quarter began.

Dong didn't rest and went straight back on the court, along with Frye, Durant, Whiteside, and Thompson.

The Celtics had the ball.

Bradley dribbled to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Sullinger under the basket. Sullinger caught the pass, first glanced at Dong's position, and seeing that Dong was beyond the three-point line, he immediately turned and backed down Whiteside, attempting a hook shot.

"Swish!!!"

The ball dropped into the basket.

As long as he wasn't directly guarded by Dong, Sullinger was a capable scorer.

Whiteside ran to the corner to inbound the ball. →

Dong received the pass and, after crossing half-court, noticed that Thompson was already positioned at the three-point corner.

"Whoosh~~~"

Dong gently pushed the ball forward with both hands.

Thompson comfortably caught the pass.

"Swish!!!"

This was Thompson's favorite three-point spot, and the ball swished through the net.

The score was now 35-23!

Leading by over ten points in the second quarter was a normal occurrence for the Suns.

Then, Rondo assisted Bass for another mid-range jumper.

Rondo's court vision and game awareness were among the best in the league for point guards. Playing up to this point, Rondo already had 5 assists.

Dong had the ball again.

...

Rondo, while defending Dong, tried to provoke him, "You're just passing and not shooting. Are you trying to imitate me?"

"Imitate you?"

Dong chuckled, "I'm not shooting because it's not my time yet. You're not scoring because you don't have the ability to score."

After saying this, Dong spun and lightly flicked his wrist, causing the ball to go through Rondo's legs.

Durant cut to the basket and received Dong's pass, easily making the layup.

The score was now 37-25!

Dong had already recorded his 11th assist of the game.

...

However, after seeing Dong focus on playmaking without any desire to score, Coach Stevens immediately changed his defensive strategy.

Bass was left alone to defend Dong, while the Celtics employed man-to-man defense on the other Suns players.

Twice, Thompson received passes from Dong but missed his shots due to Bradley's tight defense.

Seeing that Thompson wasn't making his shots, Gentry made a substitution, bringing in Curry for Whiteside...

This meant giving up on rebounding and letting Dong handle the ball by himself, while Curry, Thompson, Frye, and Durant stood at the three-point line.

The Suns didn't need rebounds; they would either make the shot or draw a foul.

And so, this scene unfolded.

Dong drove to the basket, and Bass couldn't keep up with his pace.

However, Sullinger and Jeff Green had moved out to defend Durant and the others, leaving Dong open for an uncontested layup.

Dong drove again!

Durant and the others ran to the three-point line, and Frye found himself open for a three-pointer.

Dong flicked his wrist, and the ball reached Frye.

"Swish!!!"

Frye caught the pass and made the three-pointer.

Dong drove and dished to Durant, who made the three-pointer!

Dong drove and passed to Thompson, who also made the three-pointer!

This tactic was so frustrating for Coach Stevens that he felt like crying... It was simply unreasonable.

Although the Celtics won the rebounding battle against the Suns, they couldn't keep up with the Suns' three-point barrage.

The score was now 73-55!

At halftime, the Suns led by 18 points.

The team's three-point shooting percentage was an incredible 70%, making 19 out of 27 attempts.

In the first half, Dong had 19 assists, tying Cousy's half-game assists record set in 1959, and this record was also set in Boston, but by a Celtics player, Cousy.

...

In the Suns' locker room.

"You guys are amazing!"

The Suns' bench players applauded the five players who played in the second quarter.

In the second half of the game, the boos from the Boston home crowd had mostly disappeared, as the Suns' three-point shooting percentage left the home fans feeling hopeless.

Gentry said, "Congratulations, Dong, for tying the half-game assists record. In the second half, you only need 13 more assists to break the historical assists record."

"We're all looking forward to the moment when Dong breaks all historical records," Durant added.

"Ang ni bi li o bao!"

McGrady was also amazed, "If one day, Dong breaks the single-game records for points, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals, won't we all be out of jobs?"

Carter said, "You and I don't need to worry about that because we won't be playing for many more seasons."

Curry said, "Dong's court dominance is terrifying. Being his teammate in this era is the happiest thing."