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At this moment, the five people on the Warriors are Curry, Klay, Green, Butler, and Tony Allen. They stand in a line, and except for Curry, the other four seem to have nearly the same height, with no player taller than 6'8".
Gentry looked at the Warriors' lineup in astonishment and was stunned for a moment before saying to the assistant coach beside him with disbelief: "What? Am I reading this wrong? Did the Warriors put out a lineup like this? Are they crazy?"
Without waiting for a response, Gentry stood up, walked over to the sidelines, and waved at Nash: "Steve, the Warriors don't have an inside game, and when they drive to the basket, we're going to make them pay for their stupidity!"
Nash nodded:
"I see, no problem."
Tic-
When the referee's whistle blew, the game began. The Suns had the ball, and Nash and Robin Lopez set a pick at the top of the arc. Green, in the center position, took a step forward and then went back to his spot after a big delay. Tony Allen took the opportunity to slip through the coverage and chase after Nash.
Nash wanted to pass the ball when no one was covering Robin Lopez, but Green was much more mobile than Chandler and got back in time after a big delay to defend Lopez, not giving Nash the chance to pass the ball.
Nash still didn't give up and wanted to run the pick-and-roll again, but this time Tony Allen stuck to his left side, blocking him from Lopez, opening up space to escape to the right.
The implication was clear: I'd rather let you drive and challenge my teammates inside than give you the chance to run the pick-and-roll.
Nash laughed at Tony Allen's "courtesy" and walked to the right side. Allen followed, and Green got stuck between Robin Lopez and Nash, gradually retreating.
Nash relied on his speed to get to the right side of the paint, and Allen was half a body behind him. At that moment, Butler, on the right baseline, suddenly collapsed to help defend and pounced on Nash. Nash immediately passed the ball to Hill, who was hiding in the corner, but Butler quickly got back and didn't allow Hill to take an open shot.
Hill faced Butler, recalling his previous miss, and hesitated for a moment before passing the ball back to Nash, moving further beyond the three-point line.
After Nash received the ball, only 7 seconds were left on the shot clock, and there was no time to run more screens or pick-and-rolls. Tony Allen also noticed this and, being experienced at sticking to Nash, didn't give him space to shoot.
Desperate, Nash was forced to go solo, but under Allen's defense and his direction changes and behind-the-back dribble, Allen didn't flinch, and Nash barely managed a mid-range shot.
Bang dang!
With serious interference from Tony Allen, the basketball bounced off the rim and was collected by Green, who was stuck in position.
"Defend!" Liam, who was standing on the sidelines, shouted.
Green didn't know if he heard Liam's voice but didn't pass the ball to Curry. Instead, he held the ball himself and rushed to the front court, catching the Suns players off guard. Everyone focused on Curry, but they didn't expect this rookie, who could defend and pass, to push the fast break by himself!
Green's dribbling wasn't nearly as smooth as Curry's, but it was efficient enough. He quickly moved the ball up the court, passed Curry, who followed him on the left, and then ran to the right to set a screen for Klay.
Curry, who received the ball, accelerated immediately, dribbled toward Richardson on the right side, pulling the Suns defense toward him. Klay ran toward the top of the arc, helped by Green's screen, stepped outside the three-point line, and Curry jumped into the air, passing the ball backward as if he had a long eye on the back of his head.
Klay caught the pass, and Turkoglu, who was chasing him, was blocked by Green. There was no one around to defend him, but Klay didn't make any adjustments. He didn't hesitate for a second and launched a three-pointer from behind the arc!
Swish!
The basketball went through the rim, and Klay and Green slapped hands before retreating to the backcourt with blank expressions, as the Warriors fans cheered.
63:47.
Mike Breen says:
"This is Klay Thompson's second three-pointer, he's already scored 8 points, 2 of 2 from three-point range, and the Suns can't afford to leave him open."
Jeff Van Gundy shakes his head and says:
"The Suns didn't intend to leave him open; it was Green's excellent coverage that blocked Turkoglu and created an opportunity for Klay. Of course, Curry's pass was also spot-on, and Klay shot quickly. Otherwise, Turkoglu would have caught up."
Mike Breen smiles:
"I didn't expect these three to cooperate so seamlessly, and this is the first game they've played together."
The Suns attacked, and this time, the pick-and-roll between Nash and Robin Lopez was completed. Green's delay wasn't timed correctly, giving Nash the chance to pass to Lopez, who received the pass and started attacking the rim.
But the rest of the Warriors were prepared. Butler and Klay stayed alert to the ball's movement, quickly collapsing to the basket to help defend and stop Lopez from scoring.
Turkoglu, at the strong-side lower corner, received a pass from Lopez. But before he could make a move, Green, who was still battling inside, quickly lunged at him, and Turkoglu missed the opportunity to create space after hesitating for a moment.
There was no time to be frustrated, and when he looked up, Curry, at a 45-degree angle on the weak side, was covering Hill in the lower corner. Tony Allen rotated to Richardson, Klay expanded to the top of the arc, and Butler was under the basket, guarding Lopez.
Mid-game, Turkoglu knew how tough the young man in front of him was, and instead of going for a simple shot, he lobbed the ball to Robin Lopez under the basket and let him play with Butler, who was out of position.
But he miscalculated the matchup with Butler, who fought to push the big center behind him and even had the strength to jump and intercept Turkoglu's pass mid-air!
Wham!
Butler swatted the ball with one hand. Green turned and grabbed the ball with two steps, daring to control it before Turkoglu. He looked up, saw Curry and Klay on opposite sides, running like arrows, quickly calculated, and threw the ball to Curry.
The steal happened suddenly. The Suns players were defenseless, and only Richardson had enough time to retreat. Curry caught Green's pass, charged to the basket, and Richardson followed him without hesitation.
Curry took two steps to the free-throw line, but instead of continuing, he turned and passed the ball to Klay, who had been following him.
Richardson looked back and saw Klay just run a step outside the three-point line. Nash, who was defending Klay, was still following Curry, and Richardson was still on Curry's tail.
He thought clearly—if he could control the area under the basket, he might block Klay's fast break. But when Nash followed him, it would be impossible to stop the Warriors' ball movement.
But in the next moment, Richardson's clever plan disappeared. Klay had no intention of dribbling forward after receiving the ball. He took a shot, took a small step to the three-point line, bent his knees, raised his arms, and launched a three-pointer!
Richardson froze, staring at the basketball flying through the air, turning quickly, and sliding over his head.
A two-on-one counterattack opportunity, but you shoot a three-pointer when no one is protecting you?!
Nash, defending Klay, also slowed down, raised his right hand halfway beyond Klay's side, keeping his eyes on the orange basketball.
Not only they two but almost everyone in the arena was stunned by Klay's decisive shot and watched the ball in silence. Only Liam raised his hands, looked at Klay, and smiled.
Swish!
It felt like a very short wait, and after a very long one, the basketball sank through the net, and only a few tenths of a second passed before Oracle Center erupted with cheers.
66:47.
"Liam! Liam!"
"Oh, I love this No. 12 to death. Did you see his three-point expression? Like a cold-blooded killer harvesting lives!"
"Great shot! This shot was so decisive, and the lead is now 19 points, and Klay's two three-pointers have given the Warriors a huge advantage!" exclaimed Mike Breen.
Jeff Van Gundy smiled:
"Actually, this shot wasn't very reasonable. With a two-on-one break, the better choice would have been to attack the basket. But the moment I looked into his eyes, I knew he was going to shoot. The 13th pick, the shooting guard... Heh, something interesting."
Upon hearing Jeff Van Gundy's significant words, Mike Breen took over the conversation and said:
"Speaking of this, there's something else interesting: after Klay was selected by the Warriors with the 13th pick, he was a little angry. Although he had been in contact with the Warriors for a long time, Klay believed he was the best shooter among the rookies, and no team picked him before the 13th pick, which really upset him. He wanted to use the No. 13 jersey as motivation, to play well and show the teams that missed him."
"Wait a second, I remember that the Warriors' No. 13 jersey is retired, right? Seems like Chamberlain wore it back then?" Jeff Van Gundy pondered for a moment.
Mike Breen nodded:
"Exactly, so Klay gave up on the second-best option and chose No. 12, which Klay himself mentioned during an interview with ESPN this summer."
Because of the Liam connection, the Warriors have a huge fan base around the world, and ESPN set up an interview with Warriors rookies including Green and Klay.
While the two were engaging with the fans, the Suns inbounded the ball from the baseline. Gentry walked back and forth along the sidelines, hesitating whether to call a timeout to stabilize the situation but ultimately said nothing.
Only a minute after the third quarter had begun, it was too early to call a timeout...
As Gentry hesitated, the Suns launched another offense, still running pick-and-roll, but Nash shifted his offensive approach this time, using Robin Lopez's solid screen to dribble the ball to the free-throw line and lobbed it to Lopez in a very tricky angle.
Lopez, already under the basket when he received the ball, didn't dribble. He turned around with a small hook and cleared the ball.
66:49.
The bench breathed a sigh of relief, while Liam sighed softly.
Green's inexperience was exposed as he had positioned poorly and didn't get to the front in time, allowing Robin Lopez to receive the ball in deep position and use his height to score easily over him.
Turning around, the Warriors attacked again. Green stood at the top of the arc. Robin Lopez looked at the sidelines, greeted by Gentry, and followed him, standing a step or two away from Green, extending his hand to cover Green's shooting space.
Green had hit 2 open three-pointers in the first half, and though 2 of 5 shooting seemed average, his 40% three-point rate was actually quite high, making him an elite shooter in the league. So, Gentry dared not leave Green open again.
As Green held the ball at the top of the arc, Klay and Curry on the left and right lower corners began their cross-court movement. Nash and Richardson, who were defending the two, got confused in communication. Richardson continued chasing Curry, and Nash instinctively stopped defending Curry, relaxing his pursuit of Klay.
Before the game, the coaching staff had repeatedly emphasized Curry's shooting, and last season's playoffs had impressed the Suns players with Curry's three-pointers.
But this way, the Suns' defensive formation became chaotic. Klay got a brief open look, and though Richardson reacted and switched defenses with Nash, he was still behind Klay by a position. Klay continued running to the 45-degree angle on the opposite side, and with Green's help, Richardson was left behind again!
Green had been paying close attention to the two's movement at the top of the arc. When he saw Klay was open, he immediately passed the ball. Klay turned around after receiving it, quickly looked at the basket, and took a three-pointer before Richardson could catch up.
Boom, swish!
The basketball went through the net, and Richardson, who struggled to get around the coverage, stumbled forward, trying to regain his balance.
Klay calmly looked at him, smiled toward the Warriors bench, and stepped back, completely unphased as if he were an experienced player, showing no sign of nervousness or excitement.
69:49, the lead stretched to 20 points.
"Tic-"
Gentry called a timeout, just 2 minutes and 13 seconds after the third quarter began.
Inside Oracle Center, the fans almost unanimously stood to cheer and applaud the young rookie. In just two minutes, Klay had scored 9 points with three consecutive three-pointers to stop the Suns' attack, making Warriors fans quickly fall for the silent shooter.
"Hey, this rookie is really amazing. He scored 9 points in 2 minutes. This guy is kind of unstoppable," Mike Breen said in astonishment.
Liam also clapped for the Warriors players leaving the court and told Ron Adams beside him:
"Looks like Klay won over the fans before Green did!"
Ron Adams smiled:
"A three-pointer is always more eye-catching than a successful defense, but Klay's game is the cherry on top. If he can continue holding this lead, it depends on Draymond's play."
End of this chapter
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