Chapter 84: Victory in Sight

After the timeout, the Heat changed their defensive strategy.

The "Elevator Door" tactic was a trick, but it couldn't be used as a regular tactic.

From the start of the third quarter, both teams engaged in a tug-of-war. The Heat led by two points, the Suns took the lead, then the Heat took it back, and the Suns took it back again, and the Heat took it back again...

Until the end of the third quarter.

76:75!

The Suns led the Heat by one point.

This game was intense, and both teams' scores were not high.

Before the start of the fourth quarter, James had three fouls, Wade Dong had four fouls, Iverson had three fouls, and Gortat had four fouls...

In terms of scoring, Wade Dong had the highest score, with 29 points despite being plagued by fouls. Next were James and Wade, with 26 and 28 points, respectively.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Wade Dong was still sitting on the bench.

Four fouls were still very dangerous. If Wade Dong fouled out before the end of the game, it would be a huge blow to the Suns.

The current lineup on the court was:

Suns: Lopez, Frye, Dudley, Hill, Nash.

Heat: James, Wade, Bosh, Haslem, Chalmers.

The Heat were playing with their main lineup, showing their determination to win this game. If they fell behind 3:0, they would also lose the chance to win the championship.

Dudley was defending James. For James, this was almost no challenge!

So when the Heat attacked, James used a power dribble to drive past Dudley towards the basket. Just as he was about to score, Dudley quickly stole the ball.

"Huh???"

James was already preparing to score, but suddenly the ball was gone from his hands.

Dudley pursed his lips and quickly dribbled towards the frontcourt! This was the price for James underestimating him. He was the one who had stolen the ball from Kobe.

After reaching the basket, Dudley easily scored a layup.

78:75!

The Suns extended their lead.

This steal also completely enraged James, who began to relentlessly attack the basket.

With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Suns requested a substitution.

Wade Dong, Iverson, and Gortat returned to the court.

"Well done, brother! Now it's our turn."

Wade Dong high-fived Dudley and Frye as they came off the court.

Nash played with the substitute lineup for five minutes, and the Suns still had a one-point lead. This was extremely valuable, showing how hard the substitute players were working on defense.

After coming back on the court, Wade Dong first scored a fadeaway jumper over James.

This shot made the fans feel a sense of déjà vu, as if they were witnessing the long-awaited 23 vs. 24 matchup. However, Wade Dong's fadeaway jumper was even smoother and higher than Kobe's.

James tried his best to block the shot.

But at this point, there were hardly any players in the league who could defend Wade Dong, or more accurately, no one could.

Especially in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter...

"Swish!!!"

Without a doubt, Wade Dong made the shot.

After making this shot, Wade Dong entered his one-on-one mode. He kept asking for the ball... until there were only one and a half minutes left in the game, the Suns were leading the Heat by 11 points.

...

Yujia, "It's really impossible to beat them."

Zhang Zhidao, "Wade Dong is too strong!"

Yujia, "Can we start celebrating the Suns' championship now?"

Zhang Zhidao, "I'm more looking forward to what surprises Wade Dong will bring us next season."

...

With one minute left in the game, the Heat started using foul tactics.

However, a ten-point deficit felt insurmountable.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's final whistle, the game ended.

109:101!

The Suns won their third game against the Heat, taking a 3:0 lead in the series.

It looked like the Suns had their hands on the championship trophy.

Game statistics:

Wade Dong: 50 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.

James: 37 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

Iverson: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

Wade: 43 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.

Nash: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks.

Bosh: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.

Wade Dong scored half of the Suns' points, including 21 points in the fourth quarter. However, James and Wade combined for 80 points, and with Bosh's 11 points, the Heat's other players combined for only 10 points.

Especially in the last seven minutes of the fourth quarter, almost only Wade Dong, James, and Wade were scoring.

The reason the Heat lost this game was also due to the lack of contribution from their role players.

The fans had already forgotten the two incorrect calls against Wade Dong in the first half because the Suns had won the game. However, if the Suns had lost, the cries of "black whistle" would have filled the air.

In a country like the United States, with its high degree of freedom, it was even possible for the head referee to be shot after leaving the arena.

...

Before the post-game press conference began,

Coach Gentry gave the players another pep talk. After all, the series was not over yet, and he needed the players to stay focused and win the series in one go.

In the first three games of the Finals, Wade Dong scored 53 points, 46 points, and 50 points, respectively. These statistics could be said to surpass any superstar in history. If Iverson's performance was the foundation for the team entering the Finals, then the first three games of the Finals were carried by Wade Dong alone.

Especially in the second game, Wade Dong achieved an unprecedented quadruple-double!

Defeating the Spurs and the Lakers gave the Suns a huge boost in confidence, but facing the Heat's big three, if Wade Dong hadn't performed so incredibly, the Suns would have had a hard time winning the championship.

In Wade Dong's view, there was only one game left... he wanted to end this Finals series in Phoenix.

...

Two days later, the Suns and the Heat faced off in the fourth game of the Finals.

Although the Heat had superstars like James and Wade, at the start of the season, the player rankings had James at number one and Wade at number six, indicating their high standing. However, looking at the other Heat players, Wade Dong saw a familiar spirit.

It was the same spirit as the Clippers' players in the fourth game of their series, knowing that the game was lost but still fighting, even if it was just for show.

The reason Wade Dong was determined to win this game was also because of this.

One final push, then another, and then another.

If the Heat won this game, their spirit would return. If they won another game, making the series 3:2, their spirit would be completely different, and the Suns would be in danger.