Chapter 404: Sweeping the Mavericks

It wasn't just about making 16 three-pointers in a single game; among those 16 three-pointers, at least three were made while facing a triple-team defence from the Mavericks.

After the game, during the press conference, a reporter asked Wade Dong about Curry's performance, to which he replied, "Curry is changing the league. His three-pointers bring so much excitement to the team, and I believe Curry will one day become the face of the league."

Before joining the Suns, Curry had already begun to shine, and his progress over the past two seasons has been evident to all.

However, Wade Dong's evaluation of Curry was surprisingly high. The face of the league? Only top-tier players would dare to make such a statement, and one would at least need to win a regular-season MVP award. But would Wade Dong give Curry that opportunity?

...

On the first day of the playoffs, the Suns defeated the Mavericks, and in the neighbouring arena, the Heat also had a dominant 27-point victory over the Cavaliers.

It was a game without much suspense.

The Cavaliers' head coach boldly placed Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup.

Antetokounmpo, playing in his first playoff game, appeared nervous. He had a poor performance, making only 3 out of 17 shots, scoring 7 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and recording 1 assist, 0 steals, and 1 block. Moreover, his free throw percentage was less than 30%, which allowed the Heat to defend against him very aggressively, not worrying about committing fouls.

Although the Cavaliers managed to make it to the playoffs, their loss to the Heat made fans realise that Irving was only an offensive weapon. He could break through the opponent's defence and score, but as the team leader, he was not up to the task.

...

The day after losing to the Suns, the Mavericks found a training facility in Phoenix.

Carlisle barely slept that night. He believed that basketball was a team sport, not one that relied on a single player to win games, but he couldn't figure out how to counter the Suns.

After all, the Suns were also a team, and a stronger one at that.

In the first game, Curry stepped up.

Would Durant step up in the next game? Would Thompson step up in the third game?

How much fuel did the two veterans, McGrady and Carter, have left in their tanks? Last year, McGrady once again performed the feat of scoring 13 points in 35 seconds.

Even if Wade Dong didn't play, the Mavericks had no hope of winning against such a team.

The players were training.

Carlisle stood on the sidelines, "Defend! Dampier, your attention should be on Middleton, who is on the wing. If it's the Suns, then the person in that position is Wade Dong."

"Yes, that's right. Pass the ball to Middleton and let him imitate Wade Dong's offence!"

Middleton listened to Carlisle's instructions and, facing Dampier's defence, faked a move, turned, and shot a fadeaway jumper!

"G~~~"

The ball hit the rim.

Carlisle clapped his hands and said, "Dampier, you defended well!"

"But..."

Middleton stopped his offence and said to Carlisle, "If it was Dong, the ball wouldn't have hit the rim."

Carlisle asked, "If Wade Dong had the ball in that position, how would he have attacked?"

"Just like I did, a fake move and then a fadeaway jumper!"

"That's simple... Brandon was at the top of the arc, and he could have helped defend as soon as Wade Dong received the ball, so even if Wade Dong turned around, he wouldn't have had the space to shoot."

Middleton nodded, "Then there's no problem with the defence."

"Apart from the fadeaway jumper, how else would Wade Dong have attacked?"

...

"In that position, there was no defender in the paint, so Dong could have posted up Dampier and used his dream step to shake off the defender and score."

"That's also easy to handle. The prerequisite for the dream step is to first catch the ball, and as long as Nowitzki stands in the paint, Wade Dong won't be able to score!"

...

After practising for half a day, Carlisle pointed to the 45-degree angle three-point line position, "Let's discuss this position. If Wade Dong gets the ball, how will he score?"

Middleton said, "Apart from passing, Dong's first choice is to face the defender and force a three-pointer."

"The only way to stop that is to foul early."

Carlisle waved his hand, "We're discussing what Wade Dong would do if he didn't force a three-pointer, how he would organise the offence, and who he would pass to first."

Every team studies Wade Dong's game footage, and they've discovered that he doesn't play selfishly. Moreover, this season, Wade Dong has been playing the point guard position, and although his averages of 37 points and 12 rebounds per game are those of a top-tier centre, it's undeniable that he is indeed an organising guard.

Additionally, they've noticed a habit in Wade Dong's playing style: when he's dribbling outside the three-point line, his first choice is to pass rather than attack, even though he has a 51% three-point shooting percentage, making him the most accurate three-point shooter in the league, not just on the Suns.

Middleton said, "I think Dong will look for Thompson first..."

The Mavericks spent the entire day studying how to limit Wade Dong on the court, as he is undoubtedly the core of the Suns.

...

April 23rd.

Playoffs, first round, Game 2.

117:96!!!

Throughout the game, Durant made 14 out of 21 shots, recording a brilliant triple-double with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading the Suns to another easy victory at home against the Mavericks.

Wade Dong's stats for the game were 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. He played 11 minutes in the first half and 6 minutes in the third quarter before being subbed out for the rest of the game, leaving the Mavericks' tactics targeting Wade Dong useless.

April 26th.

Playoffs, first round, Game 3.

121:103!!!

This was the closest the two teams came in terms of score, with the Mavericks losing to the Suns by only 18 points.

The player who exploded in this game was Carter, who played for 37 minutes, scoring 31 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and recording 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. This was also the first time Carter scored over 30 points this season.

Wade Dong also only played for twenty-something minutes in this game.

April 28th.

Playoffs, first round, Game 4.

This was the Mavericks' last chance. If they lost this game, they could go home and fish.

Nowitzki and Middleton both exploded in this game.

In the first half, Nowitzki frequently isolated Durant, and his three-pointers were also on fire, making 11 out of 17 shots and scoring 26 points in the first half, while Middleton scored 21 points.

57:63!!!

At the end of the first half, the Mavericks were leading by 6 points.

However, this momentum didn't last long. In the third quarter, Curry made 5 out of 9 three-pointers, scoring 17 points in that quarter alone, leading the Suns to take the lead. By the time the fourth quarter came around, the Mavericks had basically lost all hope of catching up.

126:119!!!

In the final game of the first round, the veteran Nowitzki scored 49 points, and the rising star Middleton scored 41 points, for a combined total of 90 points, but they still couldn't lead the Mavericks to a single victory over the Suns.