Chapter 43: Technical Foul

"Wow!!!"

Wade Dong's dunk was too cool!

The Suns' bench players all pretended to fall backward, as if they were dazzled by Wade Dong's coolness.

As Wade Dong stepped up to the free-throw line, he said to Duncan, "Although you are my idol, I won't allow you to bully my teammates like that."

Just moments ago, Duncan had scored four consecutive baskets on Gortat, almost driving him to despair.

Duncan stood up without saying a word, but when Wade Dong made the free throw, Duncan burst out laughing, "Hahaha..."

Wade Dong: "???"

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew the whistle again, signaling a technical foul on the white number 21.

Duncan: ( ? ?ω?? )?

Duncan felt very innocent. He had just laughed once, why did he get a technical foul?

Not to mention the Suns players, even the Spurs players were confused. Why did Duncan laugh?

Facing Duncan's mysterious laughter, the only one who remained calm was Leonard, with his usual poker face.

Wade Dong stepped up to take the technical foul free throw.

"Swish!!!"

The ball went straight through the net, giving the Suns another point.

Wade Dong had now scored a 2+1+1, even he found it strange.

82:81!

Because of Duncan's inexplicable laughter, the Spurs were down by one point.

Moreover, after the technical foul free throw, the Suns still had possession. Wade Dong received the inbound pass, drove into the paint, and faced the defense of Jefferson and Duncan. He made a no-look pass to Nash, who was open at the three-point line.

"Swish!!!"

Nash's three-pointer went in, making the score 85:81.

The Suns scored seven points in one possession, which was nothing short of a miracle.

...

In the Chinese broadcast studio:

Yu: "Hahaha... That's hilarious, I don't know why Duncan laughed?"

Zhang: "I've interviewed Duncan before. Although he looks dull, he's actually a very humorous person."

Yu: "But the referee didn't understand his humor and gave him a technical foul."

Zhang: "Wade Dong made the free throw, and Duncan burst out laughing on the court, which was indeed quite rude."

...

After Nash made the three-pointer, Popovich called a timeout.

Popovich held the clipboard and muttered to Duncan, as if questioning him.

However, Duncan didn't laugh this time, he just stared blankly at Popovich.

After the timeout, Parker brought the ball up, and Duncan ran to the frontcourt. Wade Dong signaled Gortat to move away, deciding to defend Duncan himself.

Wade Dong kept an eye on Duncan and said, "Let me tell you a joke. A pig, a monkey, a turtle, and a rabbit were telling jokes. The rule was that whoever told a bad joke would be thrown into the sea."

Duncan: "???"

Wade Dong continued, "First, the monkey told a joke, and everyone laughed, except the turtle. So the monkey was thrown into the sea. Then it was the rabbit's turn. Its joke wasn't funny at all, but the turtle laughed hysterically. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Duncan asked.

Wade Dong explained, "Because the turtle said, 'The monkey's joke was too funny.'"

"Oh."

Duncan nodded.

Parker made a layup, scoring two points for the Spurs.

It was the Suns' turn to attack. Wade Dong faced Leonard's defense and made a fadeaway jumper, which went in.

An unbelievable thing happened again.

"Hahaha..."

Duncan suddenly pointed at Wade Dong and laughed twice.

Everyone: "???"

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew the whistle again, signaling another technical foul on Duncan.

Popovich was furious, the Spurs fans in the arena were going crazy, and the Spurs players were dumbfounded!

What was wrong with Duncan today?

But this time, Duncan laughed twice and then became dejected, because he realized he had accumulated two technical fouls.

Two technical fouls meant he would be ejected from the game.

Popovich stood on the sidelines and shouted, "Duncan, did you take the wrong medicine today?!"

Duncan grabbed the referee and explained, "Wade Dong deliberately made me laugh! I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. You can't give me a technical foul for that!"

The referee gave Duncan a cold stare.

Wade Dong making you laugh is not my problem, but laughing out loud after the opponent scores is a technical foul!

Wade Dong was also stunned. He had just casually told a joke to make Duncan laugh, and he actually got Duncan ejected from the game?

Moreover, Duncan's reaction was like that turtle. If Wade Dong had made him laugh during the Spurs' possession, the referee might have just given a warning, not a technical foul.

The Spurs players had been explaining for a long time, but the referee did not change the call.

Duncan was ejected for two technical fouls and sat on the bench, sulking. Popovich was so angry that he ignored Duncan.

...

The Spurs' low-post offense relied heavily on Duncan.

Without Duncan, although Ginobili, Parker, and Leonard were all strong scorers, they couldn't score as easily against the defense of Wade Dong and Hill.

The lead gradually widened.

By the end of the fourth quarter, the score was 116:107!

The Suns secured their second away win, defeating the top-seeded Spurs in the West.

The balance of victory had shifted to the Suns.

Game statistics:

Wade Dong: 37 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Nash: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

Iverson: 27 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Although Iverson was in the twilight of his career, he was still considered one of the Suns' Big Three, and the trio combined for 83 points to defeat the Spurs.

On the Spurs' side, Duncan was ejected in the third quarter, and the leading scorer was Leonard, who took over the offense in the third quarter and finished with 31 points. However, this was not enough to prevent the Spurs from losing two straight games at home.

...

After the game, the Spurs held a press conference.

The reporters were eager to ask about Duncan's two mysterious laughs during the game.

With another loss, Popovich was in a bad mood and briefly addressed the team before leaving the podium.

It was Duncan's turn to face the media, and he sat at the table with a sullen expression.

A reporter asked, "What was the reason for your two mysterious laughs today?"

Duncan explained, "Wade Dong deliberately told jokes to make me laugh, and I couldn't help but laugh."

The reporter curiously asked, "What joke did he tell?"

Duncan said, "A pig, a turtle, a monkey, and a rabbit were telling jokes. Whoever told a bad joke would be thrown into the sea. First, the monkey told a very funny joke, and everyone laughed, except the turtle. So the monkey was thrown into the sea. Then it was the rabbit's turn. Its joke wasn't funny at all, and no one laughed, except the turtle, who laughed hysterically."

"Why?" the reporter asked curiously.

Duncan said, "The turtle said, 'The monkey's joke was too funny.'"

"Hahaha..."

The American reporters also burst out laughing after hearing the joke.