Chapter 419: Western Conference Finals, Game 3

"Beat the Suns!"

"Beat the Suns!"

"Beat the Suns!"

As the Suns players warmed up on the court, the home crowd booed unfriendly.

"Hehe~"

Wade Dong just sneered and ignored the away fans.

As long as these fans don't throw water bottles at him, their grumbling won't make him lose any sleep. Moreover, the more unruly the away fans are, the more excited Wade Dong becomes.

Ten minutes before the game, the starting lineups were announced on the big screen:

Suns: Wade Dong, Yi Nan, Whiteside, Carter, McCollum

Spurs: Parker, Duncan, Ginobili, Leonard, Bonner.

...

Hua Xia Live Broadcast.

Yu Jia: "The Suns have four starters playing as substitutes, which worked well in the previous game. Gentry is continuing with the same strategy tonight."

Zhang Coach: "If they win this game, it will be difficult for the Spurs to make a comeback."

Yu Jia: "The players are about to jump ball, let's watch the game."

...

Seeing that Gentry didn't change his lineup, Popovich showed disdain, "I used to think this guy wasn't very bright, but now I realize he's also quite arrogant."

"Let's see if he dares to continue with the five-on-five strategy..."

"BEEP!!!"

As the referee blew the whistle, the game began.

Duncan and Whiteside jumped for the ball, with Whiteside passing it to Wade Dong.

Popovich made some adjustments to the lineup, notably bringing Ginobili back to the starting lineup and replacing Bonner with Danny, who had a poor performance in the previous game.

This move aimed to increase the Spurs' offensive threat!

Wade Dong dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.

Near the three-point line, he executed a crossover dribble, followed by a pull-up three-pointer!

"Swish!!!"

The ball went straight through the net, and Wade Dong had no intention of passing.

Popovich shouted from the sidelines, "This lineup won't pass the ball, double-team Wade Dong!"

"Provocation?"

Wade Dong waved at Popovich as he retreated, "Can you stop me with a double team?"

The Spurs attacked, and as Leonard made an off-ball run, Wade Dong closely followed him, preventing Leonard from receiving the pass. Even if he did get the ball, he couldn't score under Wade Dong's defense, let alone pass it.

The Spurs realized this, and Ginobili, with his serpentine penetration, passed the ball to Bonner outside the three-point line.

"Swish!!!"

Bonner raised his hand for a three-pointer, and the ball went straight through the net.

Wade Dong passed the ball and attacked, breaking through the double team of Leonard and Bonner. Just as he was about to shoot, Parker aggressively pulled him.

"Whoosh~"

Wade Dong was held back by Parker, and although he threw the ball, the direction was way off.

"It's a foul, and I won't let you score easily," Parker said casually and walked away.

Popovich's coaching style is characterized by zero tolerance for defensive mistakes. If a player is out of position on defense, even during the game, Popovich will stand on the sidelines and berate his players.

"Swish!!!"

"Swish!!!"

Wade Dong made both free throws, 5:3.

The Spurs' offense was also very smooth, and even though Ginobili and Duncan kept scoring, Wade Dong didn't give up on defending Leonard.

"Huff huff huff..."

Leonard felt suffocated. He wasn't the Spurs' star player, so why was Wade Dong targeting him so intensely?

He had just started to find his rhythm against the Lakers.

In these three games against the Suns, Wade Dong had been defending Leonard as if he were back in his rookie season.

With the first quarter almost six minutes in, fans around the world, including the Spurs' coaching staff and bench players, were waiting for this moment.

Would Gentry continue with the five-on-five strategy?

The score was 13:17, and the Suns were still trailing by four points.

"Time-out!"

Exactly six minutes into the first quarter, Gentry called a time-out.

...

After a short break.

Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, and McGrady entered the game!

"He's really daring!"

"The league has never seen such a crazy coach..."

"Although I'm a Suns fan, I'm looking forward to the Spurs slapping Gentry in the face!"

"Disregarding the Spurs, the Suns don't consider them a worthy opponent."

"A bit arrogant..."

...

This time, Popovich also brought in Mills to replace Ginobili.

Curry, facing Mills' defense outside the three-point line, passed the ball to Green, while Durant set a screen for Thompson, who received a pass from Green as soon as he was open.

"G~~~"

Before this shot, Leonard rushed in and disrupted it, and Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound.

Expanding the perimeter defense was Popovich's strategy to counter the Suns' substitute lineup, and it showed some effectiveness from the first attack.

If they can't score!

Whether it's offensive or defensive rebounds, the Spurs have the advantage.

The Spurs attacked.

Duncan demanded the ball in the low post, turned around with a back-to-the-basket move, and made a little hook shot, dropping the ball into the basket.

13:19!!!

Wade Dong narrowed his eyes, and Gentry just glanced at Wade Dong and told Curry, "Don't just shoot from the outside, attack the basket more!"

Then, Curry performed a behind-the-back dribble to shake off Parker.

Duncan and Leonard immediately contracted to the basket, and Curry passed the ball behind his back to McGrady.

"Swish!!!"

McGrady made a pull-up jump shot.

15:19!!!

The Suns' substitute lineup wasn't just about three-pointers; Curry's quick pass also showed the Spurs that he was a point guard.

With Duncan and Parker on the court, the Suns' substitutes could still compete with the Spurs.

However, these two players are also veterans, and it's impossible for them to play over 40 minutes in a game. During the regular season, Duncan averaged only 27.8 minutes per game, which is quite telling.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, Duncan came off the court to rest.

During this time, Durant and Curry led their teammates to take the lead.

31:29!!!

The first quarter ended with the Suns already in the lead.

In the first four minutes of the second quarter, Duncan remained on the bench, watching helplessly as the point difference continued to widen.

When Duncan returned to the court, the Spurs were already trailing by 11 points.

Six minutes into the second quarter.

Once again, under the spotlight, Gentry replaced Wade Dong's five with Durant's five.

"Wow~"

The fans were completely convinced!

Gentry was determined to stick with this strategy...

Most fans analyze the game solely based on the score. As long as the Suns maintain their lead, Gentry's strategy is considered sound.