Chapter 41: Barkley's Poisonous Milk

As the game between the Suns and the Spurs ended, the game between the Bulls and the 76ers in the Eastern Conference was also coming to a close.

With less than two minutes left in the game, the Bulls had taken a lead of more than ten points thanks to their excellent performance in the fourth quarter.

Rose had scored 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, just one rebound and one assist short of a triple-double.

After the timeout, the Bulls' coach said to Rose, "There's still one minute and thirty seconds left, you go back on the court."

"Okay..."

Rose was about to get up, but suddenly remembered Wade Dong's strange phone call.

At this moment, Rose felt a shadow of doubt in his heart. He thought for a moment and sat back down on the bench, saying to the coach, "The 76ers have no chance of coming back. Let my teammates handle the rest of the time. I won't go back on."

"Hmm?!"

The Bulls' head coach frowned.

On the court, disobeying the coach's arrangement was a big no-no! But Rose was the Bulls' star player, so even though the coach was a bit unhappy, he didn't insist on Rose going back on the court.

Indeed, in the last minute and a half, even without Rose on the court, the 76ers had no chance of coming back.

The Bulls won the game.

After the game, Rose felt incredibly relieved, as if he had dodged a disaster.

Back in the locker room, Rose checked the news on his phone and found out that the Suns had beaten the Spurs.

He immediately called Wade Dong...

"Wade Dong, congratulations on your first win against the Spurs."

"It's just the first game, this series is still long."

Wade Dong heard that Rose was in good spirits, which meant he hadn't been injured. It seemed that this life was indeed different from the last.

"You were right, in today's game, we were leading by more than ten points in the last two minutes."

"Is that so?"

Wade Dong asked with a smile, "Did you go back on the court?"

"No, the coach arranged for me to go back on, but I refused. I don't know why, but after the game ended, I felt incredibly relieved."

"Haha... You did the right thing, we're not stat-padders."

"I suddenly have the urge to be your teammate."

"You're welcome... Join the Suns next season."

"No, no, I don't really like teaming up."

After a brief chat, Wade Dong and Rose hung up.

...

The biggest news of the first round of the playoffs was the Suns' victory over the Spurs.

The Suns were the eighth seed in the West, while the Spurs were the first seed, making this news particularly noteworthy.

Moreover, since Wade Dong joined the Suns, the team had gained millions of Chinese fans, making the Suns more popular than even the Lakers and Heat.

Before the playoffs, the Suns had the highest odds of winning the championship. After their first playoff win, their odds began to drop, indicating that the betting companies were no longer willing to bet against the Suns.

Especially the "Elevator Door Tactic" used by the Suns in the fourth quarter, which sparked heated discussion among industry insiders.

Everyone saw the helplessness and frustration of the old fox Popovich in the face of this tactic!

...

On TNT in the US, Barkley and Johnson were also analyzing this game.

Barkley: "Gentry's double pick-and-roll tactic in the fourth quarter was just a gimmick."

Johnson: "The Suns have Nash and Wade Dong, two excellent three-point shooters. This tactic is almost unstoppable."

Barkley: "If it were me defending Wade Dong, I wouldn't let him get away so easily!"

Johnson: "Maybe the old you could, but can you still run now?"

Barkley: "Of course, if I were on the court, I'd give Wade Dong a spicy hot pot!"

Johnson: "Haha... So who do you think will win the series between the Suns and the Spurs?"

Barkley: "Of course, the Spurs. I predict the Spurs will win 4-2."

Johnson: "What if the Spurs lose?"

Barkley: "Then I'll kiss a donkey's ass again!"

When Chinese fans heard Barkley's prediction, they weren't angry but rather grateful. Barkley's poisonous milk was famous, and when he predicted the Spurs to win, it meant the Spurs were already halfway to losing.

...

After the game, Popovich also learned that Gentry's tactic was called the "Elevator Door Tactic."

It was indeed a vivid description. Every time Gortat and Morris stood together, it was like the two doors of an elevator closing, trapping the defender inside.

Suppressing his inner rage, Popovich finished the post-game press conference.

Back home, Popovich lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. His mind kept replaying the scenes of Gortat and Morris trapping the defender, allowing Nash or Wade Dong to get open three-pointers.

Unable to sleep, Popovich got up and poured himself a glass of red wine.

Over the years, the NBA had seen many famous tactics, such as the triangle offense, the Princeton system, the pick-and-roll tactic, and of course, the Suns' run-and-gun tactic and his own low-post offense tactic.

But he had never encountered a tactic as unstoppable as the "Elevator Door Tactic."

It felt like as long as a team had two players who could shoot threes, this tactic was invincible. And the Suns happened to have Wade Dong and Nash, making this tactic seem tailor-made for the current Suns.

"Damn it!!!"

Popovich downed the red wine and cursed loudly.

The next day, he would gather the team for training to come up with a counter to this tactic, or else the Spurs would be in danger in this series.

Betting on Wade Dong and Nash missing open threes?

That would be foolish. If Popovich really did that, it would be suicide.

...

Unlike the worried Popovich, the entire Suns team slept soundly in their hotel.

Hill, Nash, and Iverson even dreamed of holding the O'Brien Trophy, which was perhaps the greatest aspiration of these veterans who had been in the NBA for over a decade.

Especially Iverson, who was about to retire, the prospect of being so close to a championship was incredibly exciting.

There was no doubt that the first win against the Spurs had greatly boosted the morale of the entire Suns team, with the most obvious sign being the increased confidence of all the players.

Wade Dong returned to the hotel, took a shower, and video-chatted with Li Jiajia for a while.

Players didn't bring their families on away games, so if Li Jiajia wanted to come, she would have to fly to San Antonio herself and even buy her own tickets.

Moreover, the third game would be back at the Suns' home court, so Li Jiajia decided to stay in Phoenix.

After chatting for a while, Li Jiajia urged Wade Dong to get some rest. At this time, Li Jiajia was still cleaning the villa, even though Sal should have arranged for someone to clean it when Wade Dong left, but Li Jiajia still felt it was better to clean it herself again.