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"Defense! Defense!"
The Chesapeake Energy Arena was filled with buzz as the Thunder fans cheered, guided by a live DJ.
Oklahoma City may be small, but the basketball atmosphere is very strong and passionate. When the Thunder was struggling, "Katrina" wreaked havoc in New Orleans, and the Hornets reluctantly came to the city to play a season, receiving a warm welcome from local fans. This also laid the groundwork for the Thunder's arrival three years later.
The fans' enthusiasm seemed to have infected the Thunder players on the court. Under the leadership of Harden and Jeff Green, the Thunder's fast-break offense played vigorously, which in turn further fueled the audience's emotions.
But unfortunately, when the Thunder scored, the Warriors kept attacking, and the point difference never seemed to close.
After 20 games, Jeremy Lin had adapted to the NBA and was playing his role as an instant force, organizing the Warriors' offense with order. Butler also handled Jeff Green's defense easily, holding the ball and scoring several times in succession, even drawing two fouls on Jeff Green.
The two teams went back and forth, and it wasn't until midway through the second quarter that Liam and Brooks came off the court, slowing the pace of the game.
Liam stood on the sideline, waved to the players coming off the court, and encouraged everyone with two words of motivation. At the end of the line stood Jeremy Lin, and Liam said:
"Jeremy, you're playing well, get some rest, you'll need to play more later."
Jeremy Lin grabbed the towel given to him by the Warriors, wiped off his sweat, smiled, and nodded.
After surviving this chaotic beginning to the season, his performance had improved continuously, gradually earning the recognition of both fans and media.
At this point, the dead ball had passed, and the game continued. Jeremy Lin sat down, grabbed an energy drink, and sipped it while attentively watching the game, trying to learn from it.
He knew he was inexperienced, a late rookie, born at a disadvantage, and had to make the most of every minute and second to improve. Even when sitting out, he never slacked off.
In addition to learning on the fly, Jeremy Lin also cheered on the great shots and defenses of his teammates, waving his towel and sometimes even standing up to perform various fun movements.
The Warriors' bench was full of people waving towels, averaging 10+ per game. Except for the introverted Yi Jianlian, all others were very active. In this regard, Curry was also a "role model" for his teammates. Many times, Warriors fans saw Curry jumping up and down and wondered who was leading the charge.
"Great shot! Oooooooo!"
After Chandler made another dunk, Jeremy Lin waved his towel again, but immediately lowered his voice and smiled sheepishly at Liam, who was watching him sideways as he stopped pacing back and forth.
Liam smiled and said, "Why don't you shout? Tyson's shot was amazing."
Jeremy Lin touched his nose. He didn't think there was anything wrong with celebrating the basket, but dancing and shouting loudly at this moment disturbed Liam, who was paying close attention to the game.
Liam gave him an awkward look, smiled, and sat directly in the empty seat next to him.
"What do you think of the game?"
Jeremy Lin was caught off guard by this question, so he paused for a moment, then glanced up at the big screen in the middle of the court. The clock showed 3 minutes and 23 seconds in the second quarter, with the score 46:41, with the Warriors leading by 5 points.
He thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "If we keep playing like this, we should be able to win…"
Liam smiled and asked again, "Did you see the video of Westbrook's game earlier? You were on the floor with him less than two minutes ago. How did it feel?"
Naturally, the Warriors and Thunder rotations weren't completely synchronized, and Westbrook had returned to the floor a little earlier than Curry, having some rounds against Jeremy Lin.
Jeremy Lin thought seriously for a moment and responded:
"He's so explosive, even better than Rose. It's hard to defend against his drives, he's great at passing, but the scouting report is right, his shooting really isn't good enough. He likes to jump and pass, so it's easy for him to make mistakes."
"And did you learn anything from him?"
"Mmm... Just like him, I tend to make passing mistakes, which is bad. My shooting isn't good enough, so I'll go back and keep practicing my shot…" Jeremy Lin said, a thoughtful look on his face.
Before the game, the coaching staff had given him a copy of Westbrook's scouting report and game footage to study, and he was quite confused at the time. Normally, this task should have gone to Klay or Tony Allen, so how did he get chosen?
But since the coaching staff had assigned him the task, he had to do it. He had watched the video of Westbrook's game the night before and, with the scouting report, deeply noted his playing habits.
Now, after discussing with Liam, Jeremy Lin realized he shared the same weaknesses as Westbrook, like a high turnover rate and poor shooting. He remembered his shooting percentage was only 38.9%, with a 3-point shooting percentage of just 20%, which made him blush with embarrassment as he said:
"Coach, I know what to do, I'll definitely practice my shooting when I get back."
Liam chuckled and said, "Good job, Jeremy. I know you're working hard and adjusting to the intensity of the NBA game recently, but that's not enough. I hope you can contribute more to the team. I see you've been getting used to the pace of the game lately, and the coaching staff has come up with a new training plan for you, focusing on shooting. You'll train properly when you get back…"
Liam continued to encourage Jeremy Lin before he turned his attention back to the court. Jeremy Lin was even more excited after hearing this, eager to immediately improve his ball skills, watch Curry and Westbrook more carefully, and learn how to be an excellent point guard.
With the scouting reports on Westbrook and game footage in mind, along with Curry's snippets from practice, Jeremy Lin was looking for the gap between himself and both of them. Especially in pick-and-roll plays, he knew that was where he needed to improve the most.
Suddenly, he remembered the tactical training from the past two days, glanced sideways at Liam, and asked:
"Coach, the Thunder are about to catch up in the score. Shouldn't we be using those tactics?"
Liam, of course, knew what he was asking and replied vaguely: "Not yet."
"Oh…" Jeremy Lin nodded, said nothing more, and turned to look at the court.
Liam didn't explain further but glanced at the score: 53-51, the Warriors' lead had shrunk to 2 points. With less than 1 minute left in the second quarter, the Thunder were making a small comeback. It wasn't surprising that Jeremy Lin couldn't help but ask.
Liam stood up, pressed his hands down, and shouted to the Warriors players:
"Keep the pace and take your time!"
When Curry heard this, he slowed down and controlled the ball at the top of the arc to kill the clock.
Seeing this, Liam stopped shouting, brought his hands together in front of his chest, and looked at the court, appearing calm, without the slightest hint of panic or frustration as the score was tightening.
In fact, Jeremy Lin's earlier question had already occurred to Liam.
When he watched the game in his previous life, he also wondered why the Warriors often seemed to pull away in the third quarter rather than in the first half. That question remained buried in his heart until he became the head coach and found the answer.
The NBA has 82 regular-season games, one of the highest intensity schedules in any professional sports league in the world.
Under the pressure of high-intensity, high-density schedules, no team will go all out in the regular season. Only after entering the playoffs will each team shorten the rotation, play their main forces, and try to put the ball in the hands of the stars, where every second counts.
Therefore, the regular season and playoffs in the NBA are actually two different types of games. The playoffs are a life-and-death battle, while the regular season is closer to an "exhibition game," where both sides tacitly conserve their strength.
Of course, there are head coaches who like to start the game with rotations of 8 or even 7 players in the regular season, and at the same time, let the stars do everything, eager to play the main players for 48 minutes, putting every ball in their hands.
This will undoubtedly lead to good results for the team, but it will also overload the main players.
When Paul first entered the league, he was known for his two-way defense, talent, and strong impact, but he averaged almost 38 minutes per game in the first four seasons of his career, with an extremely high usage rate. Every ball had to go through his hands, and his defensive wing had to do everything, which certainly helped the Hornets rise quickly and become a Western power. However, the physical toll on Paul cannot be ignored, as he suffered a major injury the following season, and his performance after returning this season hasn't been as good as before.
In Liam's previous life, Durant and Harden teamed up on the Nets and formed a great trio with Irving, but due to Irving's frequent disruptions, Nash, the head coach of the Nets at the time, overused Harden, which led to a hamstring strain in the playoffs.
The list goes on. Very few teams play at full intensity in the regular season, and the same goes for the Warriors. Given Kerr's personality, he wouldn't overuse his main players in the regular season.
Based on his observations, Liam believed that the Warriors' tendency to make a run in the third quarter was intentional for several reasons.
First, it was due to the Warriors' coaching staff's arrangement at halftime. Second, it was related to the accumulation of fatigue from the opponent in the first two quarters and the Warriors' warm-up shots in the first half. But most importantly, it was the sudden increase in game intensity.
The Warriors' team is experienced and talented. They often trail in the first half, but once the third quarter begins seriously, and with the death lineup on the floor, their offensive and defensive intensity ramps up, and the score can quickly surge ahead.
They don't need to sustain 48 minutes of high-intensity play. As long as they play a quality game, they generally secure the win.
The current Warriors, of course, don't have the luxury of relaxing in the first half and ramping up intensity in the second half, so their players have been playing seriously in both halves.
But the truth is the same: if a basketball game is a long-distance race, the first half is just a prelude. Even if the lead is 20 points, the opponent can adjust mentally at halftime and has a whole half to catch up. The second half is the decisive stage. If you're 20 points ahead in the third quarter, the win is generally in hand.
Therefore, Liam had reason to believe that the Warriors' "flow wave" in the third quarter was intentional by the coaching staff. It wasn't that the Warriors flipped a switch in the third quarter and instantly won the game.
Inspired by this, Liam also found a way to make the Warriors, who were not as strong at this stage, play their own "flow wave" by creating a stir with tactics. He didn't make any adjustments in the first half but made specific arrangements in the second half, increasing game intensity disguised as the third quarter began.
This was also the reason why, despite Tony Allen being obviously stronger defensively, Liam praised Klay for starting. Not only could it train the rookie, but it also gave more room for tactical adjustments.
Of course, this method wasn't without its risks. When the Warriors finally paid the price, the loss to the Lakers was a very clear example. But if the Warriors wanted to go further, Klay and Green had to grow. In their growth process, the Warriors were bound to pay a price.
Although Liam could have used a more delicate and long-term training method, he didn't have to expose Klay directly against a superstar like Kobe. He let Klay start from the bench and grow slowly while winning. After all, the Warriors weren't a team in a rebuilding phase, and they could afford to let their high draft picks grow wildly.
But next season was very special and extremely important in Liam's long-term plan. Only Liam, as a reborn person, knew that to make the most of the advantages of his rebirth, Klay needed to realize his potential as soon as possible. So, Liam simply put him as a starter and, while training the rookies, could also cultivate a winning mode for the future, which aligned best with the Warriors' plan.
So, even though the Thunder were about to tie the game, Liam wasn't panicked. In fact, he had planned for the team to fall behind in the first half, as he hadn't made any specific arrangements. The Warriors managing to maintain their lead until the end of the first half exceeded his expectations.
Liam waved off Jeremy Lin's question, and just as he was thinking about the Warriors' tactics for the second half, the game reached the end of the second quarter. The buzzer sounded, and the game went into halftime.
On the court, Durant dribbled at the top of the arc, occasionally glancing at the clock, with only eight seconds left in the second quarter, which was the final possession of the first half.
"KD! KD!"
Almost all of the Thunder fans in the arena stood up and chanted Durant's name, while the other Thunder players spread out, playfully removing their opponents to give Durant space. Only Matthews stood firm in front of him with a serious expression.
Amid the loud chanting, Durant dribbled the ball expressionless, suddenly starting with a drag step, followed by a sharp change of direction forward, completely shaking Matthews' balance, rising into the air, and extending his arm to launch a three-pointer.
Swish! "Oooooooooooo!"
The lights were on, the ball was through the net, and the crisp sound of the ball swishing was immediately drowned out by an even louder roar. The Thunder fans erupted, making all sorts of strange, nonsensical sounds, letting out their joy. With Durant's three-pointer, the Thunder took a 58-57 lead, their first lead over the Warriors since the opening tip!
"I knew you could do it!"
Russell Westbrook ran up to Durant with a grin, while Durant maintained a serious expression, eyes wide. He gave him a high five and celebrated with his teammates one by one. Rarely, Durant shouted:
"Let's crush them!"
End of this chapter
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