Chapter 334: If You Say I Can't Guard Him, I Can't
The Lakers' offense. Harden wanted to leisurely dribble to the frontcourt, but before even reaching half-court, he faced McGrady's suffocating defense.
Harden, "???"
This caused Harden to lose focus for a moment. Why was McGrady defending him so fiercely, as if they had a personal grudge?
"Clap!"
In that moment of distraction, McGrady stole the ball from Harden's hands.
Then, McGrady grabbed the ball, dribbled straight to the basket, jumped, and scored a dunk.
"Damn... McGrady dunked!"
The Suns' bench erupted, and even Kobe was surprised.
It had been a long time since they had seen McGrady dunk.
Score: 31-33!!!
With the Lakers missing their shot, the first quarter came to an end.
In just one minute of play, McGrady scored four points, reducing the Suns' deficit to just 2 points.
...
The first few minutes of the second quarter.
The Lakers' main lineup had only Howard remaining on the court.
On the Suns' side, Wade was still sitting on the bench, and the lineup on the court was Durant, Curry, Carter, McGrady, and Marcin Gortat.
With the Lakers' bench players on the court, this lineup was a bit overwhelming.
In less than three minutes, the Suns outscored the Lakers 13-2.
Score: 44-35!!!
The Lakers went from a 2-point lead to a 9-point deficit.
Mike D'Antoni immediately sent in his main lineup. He had to admit that although the Suns' starting lineup wasn't particularly flashy, their bench depth was impressive.
The game had already reached the middle of the second quarter.
Trailing by 9 points, Mike D'Antoni called a timeout. At this point, his tactics were clear: the team needed someone to step up and score.
Just like when the Suns were trailing, and after Wade sat down, Durant stepped up.
"Kobe..."
Before entering the game, Mike D'Antoni called out to Kobe.
Kobe nodded.
It was time for him to take charge. Although Mike D'Antoni's system made Harden the offensive centerpiece, Kobe was the soul of the Lakers.
...
After the timeout, Kobe received the ball in the mid-range from Harden. He turned his back to Green, faked a move, and then turned around for a jump shot!
"Swish!!!"
The ball went in smoothly.
Score: 44-37!!!
Kobe scored his 9th point of the game, and the Lakers trailed by 7 points.
Wade patted Green on the back and said, "I'll take over Kobe's defense in a while. You can't guard him."
"Got it, Brother Dong."
If anyone else had said this to Green, he would have surely fired back with his big mouth. But when Wade said it, Green obediently nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
If Brother Dong said he couldn't guard him, then he couldn't.
The Suns' offense.
Gasol gave Curry a little space, and even then, facing Gasol, who was much taller, Curry didn't dare to take an open three-pointer.
"Pass me the ball!"
Wade saw that Curry was hesitating, so he came out from the inside and actively asked for the ball.
"Whoosh~"
Curry immediately passed the ball to Wade.
After receiving the pass, Wade made a fake shot with his wrist, but Kobe wasn't fooled by the feint.
Kobe's arms were spread at a 130-degree angle, and his left foot was slightly forward. This defensive posture allowed him to block Wade's shot and also keep up with Wade's footwork if he tried to drive.
Facing Kobe's tight defense, Wade dribbled to his right with his left hand, taking the first step with his left foot.
When Kobe shifted his weight back, Wade pulled the ball back between his legs and abruptly stopped, followed by a fadeaway jump shot!
This was a signature move of Allen Iverson.
"Swish!!!"
The ball went in smoothly.
Score: 46-37!!!
The Suns' lead was back to 9 points.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The home fans cheered loudly, encouraging the Lakers.
The showdown between Kobe and Wade was something all players wanted to see.
The Lakers' offense.
Harden dribbled to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Gasol under the basket. Facing Durant's defense, Gasol missed the shot, but Kobe flew in and grabbed the rebound in mid-air, riding on Gortat's shoulders to slam the ball into the basket!
"Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!"
The fans chanted Kobe's name, excited to see him dunk over an opponent after a long time.
"Hehe..."
Wade raised the corners of his mouth, "Bullying my brother?"
Then, Wade dribbled to the frontcourt, and as he passed by Curry, he whispered, "Alley-oop..."
After saying this, Wade passed the ball to Curry.
Curry dribbled, facing Harden's defense. He made a front crossover, then turned and quickly got past Harden.
"Whoosh~~~"
In the mid-range area, Curry made a shooting motion, throwing the ball towards the basket.
Howard, positioned under the basket, immediately turned to look at the hoop, ready to grab the rebound.
"Hmm?"
Before even seeing the ball, Howard felt the lights dim.
Wade had already jumped high, appearing above Howard's head!
"Damn~~~"
Gentry took a step forward, holding his thermos, wanting to get a better look at the play.
From Gentry's perspective, Wade's chin was already above the rim...
"Bang!!!"
In mid-air, Wade grabbed the ball and dunked it over Howard's shoulders.
...
In China, the fans watching the live broadcast couldn't help but scream and cheer.
"Brother Dong is awesome!"
"Top 10 play!"
"Damn!"
"Howard's lifelong shadow!"
Wade averaged 2.6 Top 10 plays, according to official statistics.
Why was he the All-Star vote leader?
Besides his Chinese identity, another crucial factor was that Wade's playing style was incredibly popular...
...
The Lakers' home fans also became excited.
Every time Kobe scored, Wade responded, and this was the showdown between the two team leaders.
The two teams went back and forth...
The end of the first half.
Score: 63-57!!!
The Lakers still trailed the Suns by 6 points.
Kobe scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the first half, while Wade had 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
...
The Suns' locker room.
Gentry said, "The Lakers will definitely fight back in the second half. Our defensive focus should be on Harden and Howard."
"What about Kobe and Gasol?"
Green, a bit confused, interjected.
Gentry naturally replied, "Kobe will be defended by Brother Dong, and Gasol by Durant. I think these two don't need any instructions from me. I'm just reminding you."
"Oh..."
The Suns players nodded.
When the coach said this, they didn't have any objections.
After Gentry finished his tactical arrangements, Wade suddenly spoke up, "We need to adjust our strategy for the second half. Whiteside should start, and he and Little Handsome will defend the Lakers' twin towers."
"We'll follow Brother Dong's plan."
Gentry had no objections to Wade's tactics.
The Lakers' locker room.
"We have the advantage over the Suns, so we should play at our own pace. In the second half, the starters need more playing time.
This isn't important. It's still the regular season, and we don't need to go all out every game. But right now, we're facing the Suns, our biggest obstacle to reaching the Finals."