Chapter 327: How to Be a Team Leader

The first quarter ended.

Score: 37:21!!!

The Timberwolves were already trailing by 16 points.

Sometimes, a team's roster strength doesn't reflect its actual performance. The Timberwolves had the league's scoring champion, Kevin Love, the 'Golden Boy' Ricky Rubio, and excellent shooters like Kevin Martin and Nikola Peković.

But against the Suns, they were thoroughly outplayed.

...

The second quarter began, and Wade Dong and Stephen Curry stayed on the bench to rest. Kevin Durant, who had rested for three minutes in the first quarter, returned to the court.

As soon as Durant came back, he hit two mid-range shots, increasing the lead to 20 points.

Alvin Gentry turned to Wade Dong and asked, "Dong Ge, do you want to go back to sleep?"

"F**k you!" Wade Dong cursed. He was a professional player and wouldn't do something like leaving the game after one quarter to go sleep.

For the Timberwolves, they might have preferred Wade Dong to leave the game like he did against the Rockets, so they wouldn't lose so badly.

Gentry whispered, "My grandpa has already passed away..."

Although the Suns had established a lead, Gentry still put Wade Dong and Curry back in the game after five minutes of the second quarter.

This was not only to let them pad their stats...

But also because the Suns had several veteran players on the bench, like Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, who couldn't play too many minutes.

These veterans joined the team not for the regular season but for the playoffs, where they would truly shine.

If they played too many minutes in the regular season, it might increase the risk of injuries... The Suns had plenty of players available, and they didn't need to overwork the veterans to win.

Kevin Love, when not matched up against Wade Dong, had also adjusted his game and scored several baskets.

By the latter part of the third quarter...

Score: 69:40!!!

The Timberwolves trailed by 29 points.

With such a large deficit, the game was essentially over, but the Timberwolves didn't substitute their starters.

Gentry thought for a moment... and decided to keep his starters on the court.

With just over a month to go before the All-Star Game, based on the votes, only Wade Dong and Kevin Durant were guaranteed spots in the All-Star Game, while it was uncertain if Curry and Thompson would make the team. Gentry wanted to give them a chance to pad their stats and possibly earn an All-Star reserve spot.

This strategy led to a slaughter.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's whistle, the game ended.

Score: 119:74!!!

The Suns won by 45 points on the road.

Game stats:

Wade Dong: 32 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks.

Kevin Durant: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

Stephen Curry: 31 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks.

Kevin Love: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.

Love, who was matched up against Wade Dong, was thoroughly outplayed, unable to score and even losing rebounds to Wade Dong.

After the game, fans made fun of Love for a long time, calling him the 'Lord of the Empty Stats' who was exposed by Wade Dong...

...

After the game against the Suns, Kevin Love spent a period of time in self-doubt.

"As a team leader, when your team is trailing, you need to step up on both offense and defense, not just focus on padding your stats."

Wade Dong's earnest advice kept ringing in Love's ears.

Love tried to make changes, but these changes led to a decline in his scoring average.

In less than half a month, his scoring average dropped to 26.1 points, ranking him fourth on the scoring leaderboard.

Wade Dong's scoring average also quietly climbed, and at 27.3 points per game, he was now second on the scoring leaderboard. The current scoring leader was LeBron James, averaging 27.4 points.

January 17th.

The Suns faced the Spurs on the road.

In this game, Wade Dong only needed to score 35+ points to surpass James and reclaim the top spot on the scoring leaderboard.

The Spurs' Big Three had become league veterans, and although Kawhi Leonard was improving rapidly, the Spurs were no longer a championship contender this season, ranking fifth in the Western Conference.

Before the game, the Spurs' star player, Tim Duncan, was out with an injury and sat on the sidelines in a suit.

"Wade Dong, you are the future of the league."

Before the game, Duncan walked over to pat Wade Dong on the head, but Wade Dong deftly dodged him.

Duncan smiled and asked, "How long do you plan to play in the league?"

"I haven't really thought about that."

Wade Dong smiled, "But playing until you retire shouldn't be a problem."

"Hahaha..."

Duncan laughed a few times, with a hint of regret, "It's a pity I didn't meet you in my prime; otherwise, I would have taught you how to be a man."

"You're my idol forever."

Wade Dong patted Duncan on the shoulder and went to warm up.

...

The starting lineups for this game were:

Suns: Wade Dong, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Marcin Gortat.

Spurs: Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Tiago Splitter, and Patty Mills.

The Suns were without Stephen Curry, and the Spurs were missing Tim Duncan.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's whistle, the game began.

Gortat and Splitter jumped for the tip-off.

Wade Dong received the ball and dribbled past half-court, with Leonard defending him.

The Anaconda!

Leonard's improvement over the past two years was evident, and with the Big Three aging, Leonard had taken up the mantle of leading the Spurs.

"Spread out!"

Seeing Gortat coming for a pick-and-roll, Wade Dong waved his hand, signaling his teammates to spread out; he wanted to isolate Leonard.

The teammates immediately spread out!

Wade Dong held the ball in his left hand and made a large fake, then brought the ball to his right hand.

Crossover!!!

But Leonard was quick on his feet and had large hands, blocking Wade Dong's path with his outstretched arms.

Wade Dong shook the ball in his right hand!

Then he made a body feint, bringing the ball to his left hand.

This time, Wade Dong crossed over Leonard and pulled up for a jump shot!

"Swoosh!!!"

The ball swished through the net!

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The home crowd cheered for the Spurs.

Since the era of Steve Nash, the Suns and the Spurs had been rivals. Gregg Popovich was known as 'Zhuge,' but he had made a critical mistake two years ago.

In the last game of the regular season, he rested his starters, allowing the Suns to make the playoffs.

As a result, the Spurs were eliminated in the first round by the Suns, who went on to reach the NBA Finals and eventually won the championship.

This was one of Popovich's lifelong regrets.

He still remembered what Wade Dong had said to him after the Spurs were eliminated in the playoffs, "You chose this, idol~"