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Time flies, two days pass in an instant. On the night of December 5th, the Chesapeake Energy Arena was packed. During the Warriors' player entrance ceremony, the fans of Russian City released profound boos, recalling last season's revenge and eager to play their part. They were excited to intimidate the Warriors' players and help the Thunder succeed in their revenge.
On the sidelines, Liam was calm and relaxed amidst the boos filling the sky. He even waved at the Thunder fans from the bench.
Silas sat next to him, unable to stop himself from laughing upon seeing this:
"Liam, it's a pleasure to watch you."
Liam smiled faintly: "The game hasn't even started yet. The louder their boos, the more scared they are, and the more disappointed they'll be when we win. Of course, I enjoy the process."
After finishing his words, he stood up, walked to the technical desk, and shook hands with Brooks.
The two bowed slightly, not exchanging many pleasantries. Last season, the Thunder, thanks to the Warriors, didn't fight for a playoff spot, and there was a subtle hostile atmosphere between the two teams. Brooks was at fault, but Liam wouldn't say any unnecessary words. Everything still needed to be proven on the court.
Liam returned to his seat and looked up to see the players of both sides standing on the court.
The Warriors continued with their usual starting lineup: Curry, Klay, Matthews, Green, and Chandler. Brooks made no temporary changes, sending Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, Kostic, and Sefolosha. This was also the starting lineup when the Thunder and the Warriors faced each other last season.
As Liam observed the opponent's lineup, across the technical desk, Brooks also looked at the Warriors' players on the court and got excited.
How great would it be if the Thunder could have a balanced roster like the Warriors?
Brooks stared intently at Green and Chandler, then turned his attention to Butler and Tony Allen on the Warriors' bench, envy in his eyes.
The entire league knew the Thunder roster was full of talent, but Brooks himself couldn't say that.
Presti had a keen eye, and Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Jeff Green were all selected for their extraordinary potential, but Presti had forgotten the importance of reasonable matchups. The selection of four high-pick rookies outside made it hard for the team to cultivate, and Brooks had no choice but to let Harden play the role of the sixth man and force Jeff Green to the power forward position, distributing the ball reluctantly.
Additionally, the Thunder were all strong on offense but weak on defense. Durant had talent, but his defensive awareness was average, and he lacked the will to defend. Westbrook, who was known for his defense in college, gradually relaxed defensively in favor of his offensive game. He loved to gamble for steals and disliked defending off the ball, developing very poor defensive habits. Harden was smart, but he was a heavy guard with average lateral movement and poor defense, so Brooks could only try to minimize his mistakes on defense.
Among the four, only Jeff Green was a defender above league average, but he wasn't at an elite defensive level. The Thunder failed to make the playoffs last season, and their poor defense was a major reason. The Thunder relied on the offense of the four, and any team could beat them, but their weak defense also allowed them to lose to any team.
Although the Thunder's record improved drastically this season, it had little to do with defense and more with the improvement of the scoring ability of the four, with Westbrook's improvement being the most critical.
Last season, Westbrook averaged 16.1 points, 8 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game, with very poor efficiency, a shooting percentage of only 41.8%, and a three-point shooting percentage of a meager 22.1%.
This season, Westbrook has averaged 23.2 points, 8.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game in 20 games so far, with a shooting percentage of 45.4% and a three-point shooting percentage of 33%.
The outside world has started comparing Westbrook to Curry and Rose, saying the three are the best point guards of the new generation, even threatening the status of Paul and Deron. The Jazz and Hornets have had mediocre records, and Paul and Deron have received a lot of criticism.
But Brooks is still focused on improving the Thunder's defense. He is an orthodox college coach who believes in the principle of "defense wins championships" and cannot tolerate the current situation of three players in the starting lineup failing to meet league average on defense. He has been pushing for a trade to build a more balanced roster.
But Presti and Brooks disagree. While Presti agrees with Brooks' efforts to improve the defense, Presti believes that once Ibaka matures, the Thunder's defense will naturally improve significantly. The team is currently on the right path for team construction, and when it's truly ready, he chose to stay the course during the offseason.
The Thunder belongs to Clayton Bennett and Presti. Presti never said anything about the Thunder, and Brooks had no choice but to do his best to leverage the defensive potential of the current roster and prepare for the playoffs.
But Brooks had a vague premonition that the Thunder wouldn't go far in the playoffs. This twisted way of building a team would be difficult to succeed, and he was leaning toward trading a high-pick rookie for one or two defensive giants.
If his idea could be implemented, with a reasonable lineup and continued improvement from Durant, Brooks might even have the confidence to take the Thunder out of the West and win the championship.
Unfortunately, the Thunder is destined to develop before it can compete with the big players in the O'Brien Cup, and Brooks focused his mind on the upcoming game.
Leaving the rest aside for the moment, revenge was the top priority. Brooks was fully prepared for this game, swearing to humiliate them at home!
...
Tic-
The referee blew the whistle and tossed the basketball into the air. The game officially began.
Kostic passed the ball to Willis, and the Thunder won the first possession...
Mr.Julya , what do you think of today's game? Mike Breen looked at the screen in front of him and asked.
This high-profile game was broadcast live in the United States, with the TNT commentary team sitting in the commentator's booth. Mike Breen and Julya formed the duo in the live broadcast room of Sina.
Julya smiled:
"The Warriors should win. I've analyzed the current situation of the Warriors and the Thunder. The Warriors are first in the West, though they're about to be caught by the Spurs and Lakers. But compared to the Thunder, the Warriors are still better, and their defense is much stronger than the Thunder's... Look at the Thunder's first play, Westbrook successfully broke Klay, but Green compensated and interfered with Westbrook's shot! That's why I say the Warriors will win. Their defense is very cohesive. The Warriors have many rookies this year, and everyone might focus on Klay and Jeremy Lin, but Green's role shouldn't be underestimated..."
At this moment, Julya didn't want to go on a tangent as she later would, and didn't even make the basic preparations when analyzing the situation on the court for the audience. Chandler grabbed the rebound and passed it to Curry, and the Warriors launched a fast break.
Brooks emphasized retreating before the game, and the Thunder players were very focused, retreating to the backcourt just in time, while the Warriors shifted positions for their offense.
Curry passed the ball to Green in the low post, then moved to the top of the arc, ran to a 45-degree angle with Matthews' screen, received Green's pass, and took an open three-pointer. The ball bounced off the rim.
3:0.
Julya praised:
"Beautiful! The Warriors have to play with their strong trio at the start of every game this season. Generally, it's Green, Chandler, and Curry playing, but this time Matthews is covering Curry. His screen quality is actually average, but Westbrook didn't chase much. Durant took a slower step, giving Curry space to take the three-pointer, which was really a bit undeserved."
On the sidelines, Brooks frowned as he saw this, but his expression didn't change. He just sighed lightly and shook his head.
He emphasized Curry's defense before the game and showed Westbrook video clips of Curry's recent games, along with scouting reports on Curry's playing habits, but Westbrook still didn't make any changes to his defense.
Naturally, Brooks didn't like this but couldn't show it. As the offensive core of the Thunder, playing defense was a privilege Westbrook and Durant should enjoy. Not all players were like Jordan and Kobe, excelling both offensively and defensively. In the NBA, external stars, especially guards, typically focus more on defense and conserve their physical strength for offense.
The round changed, the Thunder attacked. Westbrook dribbled into the frontcourt, raised his right hand to signal his teammates to run, and Klay stopped in front of him, waiting for him.
If Westbrook is active on defense, then Curry is passive on defense. Liam usually arranges for him to defend against opponents with weak offensive abilities to minimize his physical consumption defensively.
But the biggest difference between Curry and Westbrook is that Westbrook's attention is on the ball. Even though Westbrook doesn't want to be like future generations, waiting openly to grab rebounds under the basket, he's started emerging and never loses sight of the ball handler. It's easy to miss an opponent running without the ball, but when defending one-on-one, he's highly motivated. That's why Brooks didn't arrange for him to defend Klay.
Curry will meticulously complete the defensive tasks assigned by Liam. Although his current defensive abilities and awareness need improvement, his attitude is right, and he tries his best not to drag the team down. He dares to help on defense and start, and although he is often out of place, his positive defensive attitude has created a strong contagion, and his teammates are all fully committed on defense, not daring to slack off.
Of course, even without Curry's exemplary role, they will implement Liam's defensive arrangements strictly, but the effect of fighting with all their might from the first round is still very clear.
This was perfectly demonstrated in this defensive round.
Against Klay's defense, Durant didn't call for a screen; instead, he started directly after a small step, intending to use his speed to move to the right side and get past Klay.
But Klay was already prepared and knew Durant's playing habits well. He predicted his movements, adjusted his pace, moved sideways, and blocked Durant's path to the side.
Durant was a little surprised, but he reacted quickly, only slowing down a bit before faking Klay out. Klay's body froze, and Durant took off again, running from Klay's side toward the paint.
In terms of speed and confrontation, Klay was far behind Durant at this moment, but he didn't give up. He still did everything he could to catch up, and his obstruction of Durant wasn't in vain. Green took the opportunity to step into a helping defensive position and stopped right in front of Durant. Durant couldn't continue his drive into the paint, and with Klay chasing from behind, he was about to be trapped.
Bang dang!
Durant's zombie leap deliberately targeted the backboard, but it still bounced off the rim, and Chandler boxed out Kostic behind him under the basket and grabbed the rebound.
"Hey..."
On the sidelines, Liam heard the huge sigh from behind him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He stood up, clapped vigorously, and said loudly:
"Well done, counterattack, counterattack!"
The Thunder fans still thought that Durant's missed shot was just bad luck, but they didn't know that Durant had fallen into the well-laid trap of the Warriors from the start. Whether he rushed a jump shot or passed to Jeff Green, who had been freed by Green with only a 30.4% three-point shooting rate, the Warriors' defensive strategy had been successful.
Just when Liam shouted loudly, the Warriors had already launched a counterattack. Curry dribbled up the court, stepped just outside the three-point line to make a slight adjustment, raised his hand, and launched a three-pointer. The basketball hit the front of the rim, and the rebound was grabbed by Durant.
Julya shook her head in dissatisfaction:
"Curry's shot was a bit out of range. The Thunder retreated in time, so they just set up and played slowly. The success rate of shooting such a long three-pointer isn't high, and no one grabbed the rebound under the basket. Isn't this a waste of offensive opportunities?"
Between the Thunder and the Warriors, naturally, Julya prefers the Warriors with Liam and Yi Jianlian.
Mike Breen smiled:
"Mr. Julya, you may explain that the Warriors have fewer games, but I've watched more. Curry plays this style, and he'll take a lot of these long-distance shots in every game, and he's quite accurate."
"Oh, I see." Julya nodded but still mentioned, "This shot is still a bit unreasonable..."
It seemed that she had heard Julya's comment. After she said this, Curry really attempted a long-range three-pointer in the next quarter, but after missing, he didn't shoot again, and the game made a lot of sense.
This was also a microcosm of the start of the game between the two teams. After Durant missed the first shot, he switched to the normal pace of the game, focusing on breaking points and reducing his shots.
It wasn't because Durant knew his shooting efficiency wasn't high, and he never lacked confidence, but the Warriors' defense against him could be called tight. Klay blocked the first line, and Green and Chandler behind him were always ready to help defend, trying to prevent him from getting a shot off, so he often had to opt for passing instead.
But as a result, the Warriors invested many defensive resources in Durant, which improved the offensive environment for the rest of the Thunder. In the first quarter, Durant maintained high offensive efficiency against Matthews' defense, scoring 9 points on 4 of 6 shooting in just one quarter, but the Thunder was still behind the Warriors by 7 points, 25-32, and really couldn't stop the Warriors' offense.
Liam didn't have any specific strategy in the first quarter, just played according to the usual routine, but it turned out to hit the Thunder's weak spot because it was Durant who defended Curry.
Curry consciously increased his off-ball offensive share, while the Thunder's defense lacked ball pressure. Green passed the ball comfortably, and Curry ran freely without the ball, so he didn't need to shoot beyond the arc again.
At the end of the first quarter, Curry made 4 of 7 field goals and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, scoring 11 points in the quarter, while Durant wasn't far behind.
And because of the Thunder's weakness in interior defense, Chandler and Green also had many opportunities to feast on easy baskets, and the Warriors' offense played relatively well in the first quarter.
However, Liam didn't feel relaxed because of this. During the break, his expression was a bit serious, and he specifically advised the players when organizing tactics:
"Don't relax when you go out there, and the defensive wing must focus and execute according to the arranged tactics."
He knew very well that neither team showed its cards in the first quarter, both were a little hesitant, and the intensity wasn't mentioned as high, not just because tonight was just a regular season game, but also related to the playing styles of the two teams.
The Thunder has always been a team that plays more offense than defense, liking to rush and play fast. The Warriors also like to play fast-paced transition offense. After the two teams met, the pace increased more and more, and the players consciously strengthened their defense and put more energy into offense, which was inevitable.
But Liam knew that as the game deepened, the Thunder, who were behind, would definitely change, and the intensity of the game would gradually increase. The Warriors must always be ready to adapt.
After the start of the second quarter, the atmosphere in the Chesapeake Energy Arena became restless again. Liam calmly observed the players on the court, switching between offense and defense. Silas suddenly said:
"Liam, it seems like we don't have to try too hard to win this game."
Boom!
When his words dropped, Yi Jianlian immediately disarmed him several times after covering him, received a pass from Jeremy Lin, and dunked in the air, silencing the loud Thunder fans.
The Warriors' bench players were also waving towels, shouting, or standing up, cheering for their teammates. Curry's eyes widened in "surprise," as if he had seen an amazing spectacle, with realistic expressions that made his teammates laugh.
But Liam only clapped and said lightly:
"Let's hope so, but I don't think Brooks will go down easy, and maybe we'll have a real challenge in the second half."
At that moment, the second quarter had just begun, and both teams came out with a mixed lineup of starters and reserves, led by Harden and Jeremy Lin. They played at a fast pace, with a greater decrease in defensive intensity, alternating baskets on both sides.
Liam paused for a moment and said:
"Of course, this has to be if the Thunder can withstand our offensive attack in the third quarter."
End of this chapter
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