Chapter 259: Carrying a 200-Pound Man

"That's just cheating!"

Brooks was annoyed to see Gentry's lineup change.

This timeout was called by Gentry.

After Durant and the others came off the court, they sat on the bench to quickly recover their energy, while Brooks stood by and explained the tactics to them.

When he finished explaining, he noticed that the Suns had substituted four players.

On the Thunder's side, Durant, Harden, and Westbrook had to stay on the court, or the 16-point lead would quickly disappear.

"Hold on until the last two minutes of this quarter."

Before they went back on the court, Brooks told the Thunder's Big Three, "If we still have a 15-point lead with two minutes left in this quarter, you can come off the court to rest."

"Okay!"

Durant and the others nodded and headed back onto the court.

...

With five minutes left in the third quarter.

After the lineup adjustment, Nash came off the court to rest, and Wade Dong took over the ball-handling duties.

When he reached the frontcourt, Wade Dong passed the ball to McGrady.

Harden was defending McGrady, and he had been playing without a break for a minute. McGrady, on the other hand, was well-rested.

McGrady faked a shot, then pulled up for a jump shot.

"Swish!"

The ball traced a flat arc in the air but still went through the net.

Suns trailed 76-62!

The Suns were down by 14 points.

Harden pouted, as Coach Brooks had said that if they still had a 15-point lead with two minutes left in the quarter, they could come off the court. Now, the lead was down to 14 points.

Westbrook dribbled and passed the ball to Harden.

After McGrady made a mid-range jumper over Harden's defense, Harden needed to regain his confidence.

However, Harden was getting tired, and when he saw Jackson open, he casually passed the ball to him.

This pass was a bit careless!

Moreover, Wade Dong was right between Harden and Jackson.

"Clap!"

Wade Dong took a step forward and stole the ball. Then, he quickly dribbled towards the frontcourt.

Harden turned to chase after Wade Dong.

Wade Dong noticed Harden chasing him and slowed down, waiting for Harden to get closer before jumping for a dunk.

Durant saw Wade Dong's intention and shouted to Harden, "Don't foul..."

Durant only said half of the phrase 'break the rules' before Harden grabbed Wade Dong's arm.

Then...

All the fans in the arena, watching on TV, and even Yu Jia, Coach Zhang, Brooks, and Gentry were stunned by what they saw.

Harden was hanging on Wade Dong, and Wade Dong jumped high, carrying Harden with him to slam the ball through the hoop!

"Clang!"

The entire basketball hoop shook.

The fans in the arena, those watching on TV, Yu Jia, Coach Zhang, Brooks, and Gentry were all dumbfounded.

...

In the Huaxia live broadcast room.

Yu Jia: "What kind of strength is this!"

Coach Zhang: "It's unbelievable!"

Yu Jia: "Could Shaq have done that dunk?"

Coach Zhang: "No!"

...

In that play, Wade Dong had slowed down a bit, waiting for Harden to foul him, but he didn't expect Harden to grab his arm and not let go.

So, Wade Dong was essentially carrying a 200-pound man while dunking!

Wade Dong's strength was terrifying!

Brooks was surprised that Wade Dong, who had been playing without a break for a minute, still had the energy to do that.

The referee was stunned for a moment before blowing the whistle, signaling a defensive foul on Harden. The basket counted, and Wade Dong was awarded a free throw.

"Swish!"

Wade Dong made the free throw.

Suns trailed 76-65!

Harden's plan to rest for two minutes was ruined.

With three and a half minutes left in the quarter, the game quickly came to an end.

Suns trailed 83-76!

After the lineup change, the Suns outscored the Thunder 16-7 in less than five minutes, reducing the deficit to just 7 points.

...

Before the start of the fourth quarter.

Brooks knew this was a risky move, but he still let Durant and Harden sit on the bench.

However, when he saw that Wade Dong was still on the court, he felt like spitting in Gentry's face.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

At the start of the fourth quarter, Curry and McGrady each made a three-pointer off Wade Dong's assists.

"Swish!"

Then, Wade Dong hit a long-range three-pointer.

Suns led 83-85!

The Suns took a 2-point lead.

During this period, the Thunder's three attacks were all disrupted by Wade Dong, with two steals and a block on Lamb's mid-range jumper.

"Coach..."

Varick kept looking at the stats sheet, and after Wade Dong's three-pointer, he tugged at Gentry's suit, "Look at Brother Dong's stats."

"Huh?"

Gentry glanced at the stats and saw 39 points, 17 rebounds, 15 assists, 7 steals, and 8 blocks!

Unconsciously, Brother Dong was about to get another quintuple-double!

...

Durant couldn't sit still anymore!

He stood up and requested to go back on the court, and Brooks agreed to his request.

After Durant returned to the court, he was like the Reaper himself! He drove to the basket and shot from the perimeter, just like how the Thunder had no answer for Wade Dong, the Suns couldn't stop Durant either.

The score kept going back and forth.

After Durant returned to the court, the Suns' biggest lead was 7 points, while the Thunder's biggest lead was 5 points, but both leads were quickly erased.

Brooks and Gentry kept calling timeouts.

With 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter, both teams had one timeout left.

Suns led 117-117!

The game was tied!

The Suns had the ball, and Gentry called their last timeout.

"The Thunder also has one timeout left, so if we make this shot, Brooks will definitely call a timeout to set up a play.

For the last possession, let Brother Dong handle it. Curry, Nash, Thompson, and McGrady, your job is to create space for Brother Dong.

Don't worry about protecting the rebound, because Brother Dong will definitely make this shot!"

Gentry explained his most reasonable tactic and then looked at Wade Dong, "Brother Dong, do you have anything to add?"

"No."

Wade Dong shook his head, "Just follow Coach Gentry's tactic!"

...

The timeout ended.

The Suns inbounded the ball, and after Nash passed it to Wade Dong, Durant rushed over to pressure him.

However, Wade Dong calmly dribbled to the frontcourt, using up the time while facing Durant's defense.

If Wade Dong could reduce the shot clock to under 20 seconds, the Thunder would have less than 15 seconds to attack, easing the pressure on the Suns' defense.

"5!"

"4!"

...

Wade Dong silently counted down the time in his head, with only three seconds left before a 24-second violation.

Wade Dong took a big step with his right foot and dribbled past Durant on the left.

Durant extended his arm, and as Wade Dong moved to the left, he accelerated, and with his height advantage over Durant, it seemed like Wade Dong's body was glued to the ground.

However, just as the ball was about to touch the floor, Wade Dong pulled it back!

Durant lost his balance and his defensive position!

Wade Dong was now behind the three-point line, and he pulled up for a jump shot.

"Swish!"

The ball went through the net!

Suns led 120-117!

The Suns were up by 3 points, leaving the Thunder with only 13 seconds to attack.