Van Gundy crossed his arms and stared at the court.
The Heat must close the gap to within 10 points as soon as possible; the Nets' turnover rate is too low... This is a tough team.
Unless someone on the team possesses the ability to defend the nation, like in the last game where they could make every three-pointer, the Heat have no chance of catching up. They can't put pressure on the players now; if they do, these young Heat players will attack blindly and are prone to making mistakes.
Mistake...
That would be giving points to the Nets, at least 4 points in a round trip.
Let's see how the Heat attack. They pass the ball to Wade, who draws Wei Guo's defense. He then makes a behind-the-back pass, and the ball ends up in Jones' hands.
"Shoot quickly!"
Van Gundy shouted.
The opportunity was fleeting. Jones was unguarded beyond the three-point line, and his shot was decisive. The basketball drew an arc in the air that Van Gundy had been eagerly anticipating.
The Heat are down by 17 points.
If they make this three-pointer, they can close the gap to 3 points. Then, if they defend a few more shots, the Heat can bring the score back to the top.
"Gurgle..."
The basketball didn't fall directly into the basket; instead, it circled around the rim.
Five players are already positioned under the basket; if the ball travels out of the basket, they must immediately rush for the rebound.
"Whoosh~~~"
The basketball still spun out.
Mourning jumped, forcefully grabbed the rebound in mid-air, and then held the basketball protectively in his arms.
"Fuck!!!"
Van Gundy angrily clenched his fist; the Heat had almost gotten lucky.
This shot was the turning point. Jones was a little discouraged after missing such a good opportunity. Wei Guo dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and pulled up for a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
This seems to be a response to Jones, which may be the difference between a 56% and a 40% three-point shooting percentage.
95:75!!
The Heat are down by 20 points.
Van Gundy slumped back onto the bench, leaving the players free to play for the next few minutes. If they could narrow the gap, he would devise a better strategy; if the deficit continued to widen, he would substitute the starters in a few minutes.
......
The Heat failed to close the gap, and Van Gundy benched his starters in the final minutes.
The last few minutes passed very quickly without any pauses...
"Beep!!!"
The moment the final whistle blew, the substitute players walked back to the bench.
109:87!!
The Nets once again defeated the Heat by 21 points at home.
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 33 points, 11 rebounds, 19 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks
Wade: 39 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
For a rookie like Wade to hold his own against Wei Guo in terms of stats is quite impressive.
As Barkley said...
This player is destined to be a superstar.
James and Wei Guo faced off twice, but the Cavaliers lost badly in both games, and James never got to see Wei Guo's full potential. But in this game, he truly saw that Wei Guo could do anything on the court.
James' physical talent is also top-notch, and while there is a gap between him and Wei Guo in terms of talent, it's not significant... The difference between the two now lies in their skills. After watching this game, James decided to use the offseason to continue training. He wants to catch up with Wei Guo. He won't be able to meet peak Jordan, and he doesn't want to miss out on peak Wei Guo.
......
After the match, Wei Guo was amazed when he saw the statistics.
Wade, this small guy, actually scored 39 points against his defense?
This is something not everyone can do...
Although Wei Guo was the playmaker on the court and didn't constantly guard Wade, there were a few times when Wade genuinely scored under his defense.
Since Wei Guo was going to invite James to dinner that evening, he simply asked James to invite Wade as well.
......
"ah???"
When Wade received James' call, he was surprised, "Wade wants to invite me to dinner?"
"Yes...he just told me to make sure you come along."
"I'm not familiar with him, and the team lost to the Nets again tonight. Would it be inappropriate for me to go out to dinner with Wei Guo?"
"What's wrong with that? It's a competition, and it's over now."
"oh..."
Wade hesitated before saying, "Let me check, I'll get back to you in a bit."
Wade should ask the head coach: this series isn't over yet, and the team has just lost. Is it appropriate for him to go out to have dinner with the opponent's star player now?
Van Gundy is very open-minded...
His statement was similar to James's: the game is the game, but he just told Wade to drink less so as not to affect the home game three days later.
Wait for the head coach's permission.
Wade took a taxi to find James as soon as he left the hotel. The taxi driver was a fan and was wearing a Nets jersey. He recognized Wade at a glance.
"Are you Wade?"
"Yes..."
You did a great job tonight, keep it up!
"Thanks..."
After exchanging a few words, the driver started talking to Wade about tonight's game, as he had just watched the game live.
Don't say...
The driver was a seasoned basketball fan and spoke with great confidence. Wade asked, "Do you think we have a chance to beat the Nets?"
"It's very difficult!"
The driver's attitude was neutral: "The Nets' roster has no weaknesses, and Wei Guo is too strong. Even last year's Rockets might not have been able to beat this year's Nets."
"Are the Nets invincible?"
Wade was unconvinced.
The driver laughed and said, "Unless you put O'Neal, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, and Kidd on the same team, I can't think of any lineup that could beat the Nets."
This assumption is unlikely to hold true.
The driver mentioned that all five players could rank in the top ten in the league this season. They could team up in pairs, or perhaps even form a Big Three... but it's absolutely impossible for all five to be on the same team. Even if they were willing to team up, which team could afford such a huge contract? The luxury tax would be a terrifying figure.
These owners in the league are primarily focused on making money; they won't do anything that loses money.
"Could it be... that the Nets are really that strong?"
Wade was confused.
......
The taxi driver dropped Wade off at his destination and kindly waived the fare.
but...
The driver made a small request: to have Wade sign the FIBA jersey he was wearing.
"Hehehe...I met a star athlete today."
The taxi driver looked smug. "I have to go back and brag about it to my wife."
As for whether the taxi driver was bragging or his wife was, Wade didn't want to delve into it and awkwardly signed his name.
After getting out of the taxi...
Wade saw a man standing by the roadside waiting for him. Wade vaguely remembered this man; he was a benchwarmer for the Nets, someone he rarely saw play.
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