Chapter 64: Your Backpack

The Clippers were not a weak team; it was just that the current Suns were stronger.

Paul and Griffin were also All-Star players, especially Paul, who couldn't possibly have the same performance every night.

Losing a game by 58 points became Paul's humiliation.

Game 3 returned to the Suns' home court, and Paul was determined to win big to wash away the humiliation of the previous game.

Whenever the Suns played at home, Li Jiajia would be there to watch.

...

The players entered the court.

When it was Wade Dong's turn, the stadium DJ announced, "Number 7! Wade Dong!!!"

"It's still better to be at home," Wade Dong thought as he entered the court, greeted by enthusiastic fans and passionate commentators.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's whistle, the third game between the Clippers and the Suns officially began.

Paul immediately showed his strong offensive intent, first driving past Nash for a jump shot, then stealing Nash's pass for a fast-break layup.

The Clippers' players were also energized, defending like mad dogs, similar to the Suns' defensive style.

Three minutes into the first quarter, the Suns made consecutive mistakes, and the Clippers led 9-2.

Gentry immediately called a timeout. This timeout was crucial; he needed to adjust tactics and help the Suns regain their composure, but most importantly, he had to disrupt the Clippers' offensive rhythm.

"When you get the ball, find Wade Dong, then spread out and create one-on-one scoring opportunities for Wade Dong..." Gentry laid out his strategy.

This strategy worked well. After the timeout, Wade Dong scored consecutively against Griffin.

Defending Wade Dong was difficult because you couldn't leave any point unguarded. Close to the basket, he could use his dream shake; a bit further, he could use his post moves; even further, Wade Dong could choose to back down and fadeaway; and from the three-point line, you had to defend against his three-pointers.

6-9!

The home team Suns pulled the score to within three points.

Defending Wade Dong was exhausting, and the Suns still had Iverson and Nash as strong scoring threats.

The key was that Griffin, the Clippers' scoring threat, was completely shut down by Wade Dong. However, Paul was playing exceptionally well in this game, so the score remained close.

With two and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter...

107-109!

The Suns were still down by two points.

At this point, the Suns on the court were Nash, Iverson, Wade Dong, Frye, and Dudley.

Nash organized the offense and saw Wade Dong moving to the corner. Nash passed the ball to him, and Wade Dong received it just in time to shoot a three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

The ball went straight through the net.

110-109!

The Suns took the lead.

On the other end, Jordan missed a shot, and Nash grabbed the rebound, passing it to Wade Dong who was rushing towards the frontcourt.

Wade Dong received the ball just outside the three-point line and shot another three-pointer without hesitation. Paul was desperate; even two steps outside the three-point line was within Wade Dong's range.

"Swish!!!"

Unsurprisingly, the ball went straight through the net again.

113-109!

The Clippers made a mistake on the inbound pass, and Iverson stole the ball. After securing the ball, Iverson passed it to Wade Dong under the basket.

Wade Dong didn't think twice and took the ball to the three-point line, turning and jumping for a three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

"Three-pointer!!!"

The stadium DJ's excited voice echoed through the arena.

116-109!

Wade Dong hit three consecutive three-pointers, and the Suns led by seven points with 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the game. Thibodeau called a timeout.

After the timeout, Paul hit two consecutive three-pointers, giving the Clippers a lifeline.

But Wade Dong and Frye each responded with a three-pointer. With 31 seconds left in the game, the score was 122-115! The Clippers still trailed by seven points.

The Clippers had no choice but to resort to fouling.

However, the Suns' free-throw accuracy made this strategy ineffective.

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew the final whistle.

127-118!

The Suns won again at home, taking a 3-0 lead in the series.

Game statistics:

Wade Dong: 43 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks

Iverson: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks

Nash: 27 points, 3 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

Griffin: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Paul: 42 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks

Paul scored 40+ points, but it wasn't enough to stop the surging Suns. The series was now 0-3 in favor of the Suns, and if they lost the next game, they would be eliminated from the playoffs.

In NBA history, there have been instances of teams coming back from a 0-3 deficit, but they are extremely rare.

In the other Western Conference series, the Lakers and Thunder were tied 2-3, with the Lakers losing the crucial game but having the next game at home.

...

Two days later, the Suns and Clippers faced off in Game 4.

If the Clippers lost again, they would be going home.

This game at the US Airways Center was sold out, and even the team owner, Sarver, was in attendance. He knew Li Jiajia was there to watch Wade Dong play, so he had someone buy a designer bag as a gift for her, hoping to win her favor and, by extension, Wade Dong's.

Unfortunately, when the bag was presented to Li Jiajia, she politely declined.

Li Jiajia didn't accept the gift, and Sarver didn't insist, as that could have had the opposite effect and caused resentment.

"This bag isn't cheap," Daisy said to Li Jiajia after Sarver left. "I have one too, it's worth over seventy thousand dollars. Many international celebrities like this brand, and it even has a ten-carat diamond on it."

"Is that so?" Li Jiajia just smiled.

She was carrying a simple backpack she had brought from China, which she used to carry books or study materials for her postgraduate exams. Compared to the expensive designer bags, her backpack was very affordable.

But she loved this backpack because it was a gift from Wade Dong when they first started dating. Back then, they were both students and didn't have much money. Wade Dong had saved up by skipping meals for half a month to buy it for her, so she cherished it.

Daisy looked at Li Jiajia's backpack and said, "But your backpack is also very nice."

"Yes," Li Jiajia nodded happily. "It was the first gift Wade Dong gave me."

Daisy cupped her face, looking envious. "No wonder you didn't want Sarver's bag. If it were me, I wouldn't want it either."