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The Lakers attacked. Fisher dribbled steadily across half-court, and this was essentially his role, shooting 38% from the field last season, which was impressive efficiency playing alongside Kobe Bryant and Gasol.
After reaching the frontcourt, Fisher passed the ball to Odom, who asked for it in the low post, and the rest of the Lakers cleared out to give Gasol space.
This was the Lakers' constant style of play; Kobe Bryant typically doesn't shoot right away, he first lets the interior players run a few plays, finds a rhythm for Gasol, and then Kobe starts scoring.
However, it was Chandler who defended Gasol today, and the Zen Master, naturally, didn't want Gasol to go head-to-head with Chandler, so allowing Odom to give young Green a lesson was the best option.
As a veteran who had been working in the league for 11 years, Odom was happy to teach the young rookie a lesson. He protected the ball, and when his teammates cleared out, he slammed it to the floor, leaned back hard, and was ready to use his power to drive directly to the basket to score.
Explosion!
But unexpectedly, Green didn't budge!
Odom couldn't believe his eyes and tried again, but Green took a small step back and still didn't lose his position. Odom felt a pang in his heart, realizing he had underestimated Green's defensive ability, and he had been a bit too comfortable during the offseason, playing a bit high, and his legs still felt weak.
He abandoned the idea of trying to power through, and his body was momentarily frozen. Suddenly, he pivoted left, but Green slid to block his path, and Odom only faked left before pivoting back to the right halfway through, lifting his hands and motioning as though he were about to shoot.
Green jumped reflexively to block, but it was just a fake. Odom recovered the ball, waited for Green to reach his highest point, leaned in, and tossed the ball into the air as the referee blew the whistle at the right moment.
Green couldn't dodge it, and after landing, Odom shook his head in annoyance, completely deceived by that play. In fact, Odom's actions were performed casually, but they were fast, and the suddenness of the move caught Green off guard.
Odom smiled and said to Green, "Rookie, welcome to the NBA."
Green shrugged.
"Man, your moves were fake. I won't fall for them next time."
Odom was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Green to respond, and his smile grew even bigger.
"Really? I hope you have a lot of confidence later on."
"I'm just stating facts, if you're that guy...," Green said seriously to Gasol, "then I won't be able to stop you, but unfortunately, you're not."
Odom shook his head and smiled, intrigued by the rookie: "Draymond Green, right? I'll show you why rookies need to respect veterans."
He stopped playing against Green, walked to the free-throw line, and made two free throws confidently.
0:2
The Warriors had the ball. Curry advanced downcourt or ran to the strong side with Green and Chandler, but Kobe Bryant wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. He yelled to Gasol, "Switch!"
When Gasol heard this, he followed Chandler, raised his right hand, and positioned himself in front of Curry to prevent him from shooting.
After Curry received the pass from Green, Chandler saw that the first wave of tactics didn't work and immediately cut to the basket. But Kobe Bryant didn't leave Curry's side. Instead, he switched with Gasol, quickly adjusted his defense, and blocked the passing lanes between Curry and Chandler. The second wave of the Warriors' tactics also failed.
At the same time, Klay, who was at a 45-degree angle on the weak side, first used Matthews' screen to cut into the paint. Artest adjusted his defense in time. Klay then moved to the strong side corner without stopping. Green quickly set a screen for him, stopping Artest from trailing the defense. Klay got a brief open look!
Curry passed the ball immediately, and Klay caught it and shot without hesitation. The basketball swished through the net.
3:2
"Nice shot! The Warriors ran with such precision without the ball this time. Right now, all five players were moving at the same time, and when Klay moved to the strong side, Matthews moved 45 degrees to the weak side, pulling Fisher away. The Lakers' defense was completely chaotic!" exclaimed Mike Breen.
Jeff Van Gundy also praised, "The Warriors have been executing this tactic throughout these games. Chandler is only the first layer to cover Curry, and there are many changes that follow."
Mike Breen nodded, "This tactic is creating open shot opportunities for Curry and Klay. Curry didn't shoot here, but Klay took the opportunity. When he was in college, he was a very accurate shooter, and his three-point shooting percentage in the preseason was also very high. He became a starter at the beginning of the season, averaging 9.7 points per game with a 41.4% three-point shooting percentage, which is very good."
The Lakers were attacking again, Fisher continued to pass the ball to Odom, and when Kobe didn't demand the ball, Fisher listened carefully to the Zen Master and played strictly according to the tactics.
After receiving the ball, Odom turned and looked at Green with a smile: "Rookie, ready?"
Green lowered his weight, didn't respond, just stared at Odom, with dilated pupils, noting every subtle movement of Odom.
He knew when to talk back and when to concentrate on defense.
Odom pursed his lips, suddenly dribbled left, and then tried to drive past Green on the right side. But Green saw through his intentions and blocked his path. Odom stopped, turned his back, and wanted to repeat the old trick, shaking Green with his feet to score.
But Green had learned his lesson this time. He simply stretched out his long arms to cover Odom's shooting space, and never jumped too easily, blocking firmly between him and the basket.
Odom twisted left and right but couldn't find an opening. The shot clock was winding down, and he could barely make a mid-range jump shot, which was deflected off the rim under Green's serious interference.
Even after Odom's shot, Green didn't stop. He immediately stayed close to Odom, preventing him from getting a rebound.
It wasn't until Chandler grabbed the rebound that Green sprinted upcourt. In front of him, Klay and Curry were already at half-court.
Chandler passed the ball to Green, and Green quickly lobbed it to Curry, who was advancing. The Lakers were in chaos during their retreat, with Kobe Bryant chasing Klay. After Curry received the ball, Artest, who had retreated to the free-throw line, rushed to meet him, took two steps forward, stopped just outside the three-point line, and launched a three-pointer before Artest could get into position.
Bang dang!
The basketball bounced off the rim and into Artest's hands, who didn't rush forward, but immediately protected the ball and handed it to Kobe Bryant.
Curry waved his hand in frustration, shaking his head as he retreated, and Mike Breen stood up and clapped for Curry:
"Great job, Stephen, keep shooting!"
As he sat back down, Silas whispered to Liam:
"Liam, Stephen's hand seems off. These two shots were good opportunities for him."
Liam casually replied, "His hands are still a bit cold. If he takes a few more threes, he'll find his rhythm."
On the court, the Lakers were attacking again, Kobe Bryant finally extended his hand to the ball, and Fisher immediately passed it overhead, as if throwing a hot soldering iron.
Standing in front of Kobe was Klay, who squared up to Kobe, took a deep breath, crouched slightly, spread his hands, and watched Kobe's movements expressionlessly.
Kobe Bryant, too, had no expression, but his eyes were very serious. He showed no disrespect toward Klay just because he was a rookie, as he remembered that it was Klay's baby-face that had made the Lakers a backdrop for his record-setting season last year, including Kobe himself.
After receiving the ball, there was a cheer from the bench:
"Take down that rookie!"
"Kobe! Kobe!"
Kobe Bryant was the reason they came to the Staples Center to watch the game.
Kobe stood at a 45-degree angle outside the three-point line on the left side, placed the ball at his waist, and after his teammates cleared out, he made a triple-threat move. When Klay shifted his weight slightly, Kobe stepped back with his left foot and moved from Klay's right side. Klay followed closely. Kobe dribbled twice, suddenly stopped when reaching the left side of the free-throw line, raised his hand, and looked at the basket as if he was about to shoot.
Klay jumped, Kobe sidestepped, Klay landed, Kobe jumped, slightly leaning back in a small arc, and released the ball. The ball went in.
Swish!
3:4
After landing, Kobe glanced at Klay and coldly said, "You're going up against Tony Allen. I'll beat you, rookie."
After saying that, he didn't look at Klay's reaction and calmly retreated to the backcourt. The fans erupted in applause, indicating that Kobe had just made a picture-perfect shot.
Behind him, Klay smiled helplessly and ran to the front without saying a word.
Ron Adams, who was on the sidelines, witnessed all of this and spoke to Liam with some concern:
"Liam, do you think Klay will put too much pressure on himself trying to defend Kobe Bryant? Why not let Tony take the challenge? He handled Kobe's offense well in the Finals last season."
Liam shook his head with a smile and replied:
"Don't worry about Klay, his ability to handle pressure is the strongest on the team. There shouldn't be anyone in this world who can intimidate him. He'll learn a lot defending Kobe. No, Kobe will put him to the test, but it's not too late to have Tony step in later if necessary."
"But if you let the Lakers build too much of an advantage, it'll be tough to catch up," Silas interjected.
Liam smiled.
"It's fine, the Lakers aren't in top form. For Klay, it's more important to get better than to win right now. His and Green's growth will decide how far we go in the playoffs."
As the three of them spoke, the Warriors had already completed an attack, executing a strong lateral play with Green handling the ball in the low post. But this time, it was Klay who ran the play, with Gasol making a timely save. However, Klay didn't seem to notice him at all. He powered through Gasol's jump and shot the ball.
Swish!
The basketball grazed Gasol's fingertips, bounced off the rim, and the clear swish of the net was heard in the quiet Staples Center.
6:4.
"Look, that's Klay, he won't be crushed by anything, he's the coldest-blooded assassin in the NBA!" Liam pointed to Klay, who was expressionless and walking off the court after making the three-pointer, laughing.
"Yeah, you're right. I just hope Klay can keep that up," Silas said, shrugging his shoulders.
Then, the first quarter went by smoothly. Both the Warriors and Lakers were trading back-and-forth, with the score rising unexpectedly. Odom tried to get past Green twice, but failed and stopped.
Klay was overpowered by Kobe for 10 minutes before being replaced, but fortunately, not every ball went to Kobe Bryant, otherwise, Silas wondered if Klay might start doubting himself.
In the first quarter, Kobe Bryant played for 10 minutes—no more, no less—right in front of Klay, shooting 4 of 6 and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line, with 10 points!
All of those points came from inside the three-point line, and Kobe gave the rookie the utmost respect with fadeaways, consecutive jumpers, and a signature step-back that… well, showed Klay exactly how rich Kobe's offensive skillset really was.
After Klay left the court, Liam asked with a smile:
"So, what's it like playing against Kobe?"
Klay lowered his head and thought seriously for a moment. Then, he said very seriously:
"He's strong. He can do anything."
After finishing that, Klay took a sip of his energy drink, lowered his head again, thought for a second, and then said seriously:
"But I'll definitely defend him in the future, and I'll get really strong."
"Haha, alright, I'll be waiting for that day," Liam laughed.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 25:20, with the Lakers leading the Warriors by five points.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Lakers and Warriors' bench units competed, and the Warriors quickly took the lead.
The Lakers' starting lineup took up a lot of salary space, and their starting guards were Fisher, who was no longer at his prime. The Zen Master continued his rotations, replacing Kobe Bryant and Gasol off the court. Liam kept Matthews on, turning the strategy toward him, and he rose to the challenge, making two consecutive three-pointers. The Warriors instantly erased the deficit.
Jeremy Lin easily handled the Lakers' backup point guard, Steve Blake, and got the Warriors' offense rolling. At the 9-minute mark, Liam replaced Klay with Danny Green, boosting the offense, and by the 6-minute mark, when the Lakers substituted their starters back in, the Warriors had taken the lead, now up 4 points at 37:33.
Liam did the same with his own rotation, subbing in the starting lineup but replacing Matthews with Butler in the forward position.
Faced with the Warriors' lineup change, Zen Master was calm. During preseason, Butler had barely played and his performance was mediocre, with most people wondering why Coach Liam hadn't started Matthews if Butler had not improved much.
But soon, Zen Master realized he'd made a mistake. Under Liam's arrangement, Curry and Klay used off-ball movement to pull defenders and give Butler the ball. With Artest's frequent defensive plays, Butler was able to hold the ball and attack.
Butler quickly scored six consecutive points with mid-range jumpers, but Zen Master remained unfazed. He didn't change his defensive strategy, believing Butler wouldn't score constantly. Artest continued to focus on his help defense, keeping the pressure high on the strong side.
Liam chuckled at Zen Master's optimism and, with a signal, adjusted the Warriors' tactics completely around Butler. Curry and Klay became the decoys on the opposite side, creating space for Butler.
Soon, Butler scored 12 points, showcasing the ball handling and shooting skills he'd honed during the summer, including some fouls and missed three-pointers that still made him the center of attention.
Zen Master didn't call a timeout to adjust, and Artest lowered his help defense, focusing solely on Butler. But Butler's efficient play helped the Warriors go into halftime with an eight-point lead over the Lakers at 56-48.
In this section, both Kobe Bryant and Curry were lackluster. Kobe struggled against Tony Allen; he seemed a little off after being asked to go head-to-head with Klay and didn't take many shots. Gasol was the primary source of points for the Lakers, while Chandler's efficiency plummeted when he entered the game, leaving the Lakers trailing by several points.
On the other hand, Curry simply couldn't find his rhythm: missing two more three-pointers in the second quarter, only scoring four points from mid-range and free throws, and finishing the first half with just six points—0 of 5 from three-point range, with a low presence on the court.
At halftime, Silas turned to Liam with a serious expression:
"Liam, are you sure Stephen can recover his touch?"
Liam stared at Curry, who seemed a little down, then slowly shook his head:
"I'm not sure…"
A bad feeling settled in his gut, a feeling that only he had.
Silas suddenly laughed.
"But we're still ahead, and we still have time to figure something out for Stephen."
Liam smiled bitterly.
"Yeah… I'm not sure it's best we place all our hopes on him…"
Silas was taken aback.
"Huh? Why?"
Liam glanced over at the Lakers' half-court basket.
"I have a feeling Stephen might not be able to play the entire game. I know him well—he's a bit impatient right now, and the more impatient he gets, the less likely he'll make those three-pointers."
"Three-pointers? Why does he have to shoot so many threes?" Silas asked casually.
Liam rubbed his chin thoughtfully, squinting his eyes.
"Yeah… why did I keep thinking we should ask Stephen to take more threes as soon as we got to Staples?"
End of this chapter
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