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"Finally, our starting point guard, Derrick Rose, wearing jersey number 1. He's from the University of Memphis..."
Amidst the enthusiastic sound of the live DJ at the United Center, Rose entered the court under the spotlight to the cheers of the fans in the stadium.
A native of Chicago, Rose is a true "local boy" in the Windy City, and the legion of Bulls fans since Jordan has made him a national success.
But even in this exciting atmosphere, Rose maintained a calm and indifferent expression, as if attending an ordinary party.
After the grand entrance, the United Center lit up again, and Rose looked across the court at Curry, who was also looking at him. They exchanged smiles before looking away.
In each other's eyes, they shared the belief of victory.
Soon, both teams stood on the court, and Liam also approached the scorer's table to shake hands with Thibodeau.
As he passed by the commentator's booth, Liam caught a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, turned his head to look, and couldn't help but laugh:
"Hey Steve, didn't expect you to be commenting on this game."
In the commentator's booth, Steve Kerr, who had just stepped down as the Suns' general manager this summer and returned to his role as a commentator, showed his characteristic friendly smile and said: "I'm excited to call this tough matchup, and I wish the Warriors a great game."
This game, between the top teams of the East and West, was naturally broadcast live in the United States, and ESPN sent a combo of Mike Breen and Kerr to commentate on the big game.
After seeing Liam return to his seat, Cole turned his attention to the court, and Mike Breen's voice quieted:
"Both the Bulls and the Warriors have used the same starting lineup this season, with Curry, Klay, Matthews, Green, and Chandler for the Warriors, and Rose, Bogans, Lore Deng, Noah, and Gibson for the Bulls, both without injuries and with full lineups. So, I think this will be a great game..."
"Tic-"
Just as Mike Breen was introducing the starting lineup, Chandler won the tip-off against Noah, and the Warriors quickly moved to the front court for their first offensive play.
The Warriors first played a tactic used in the initial moments: Curry dribbled to the front court, reached the right 45-degree angle, and passed the ball to Green in the low post, then Curry returned to the top of the arc, Chandler moved to cover him, and the three executed a strong off-ball movement, with Klay and Matthews running to the weak side. The Warriors, except for Green, were all moving, and the Bulls' defense was fully engaged.
But the Bulls immediately showed their strength as the number 1 defensive power in the league, staying firmly with their opponents and not missing even the smallest positioning. As a result, the first wave of the Warriors' run ended in vain, and Curry, who received the pass from Green, stopped Noah in front of him, with no open shot opportunity.
The Warriors then launched a second wave of movement, with Klay running to the strong side corner, but the Bulls easily broke the play with a sharp defensive switch. Gibson firmly covered Klay's shots, and the ball remained in Curry's hands.
Curry checked the clock: only 10 seconds left on the shot clock. He waved his hand, signaling for his teammates to move to the weak side, taking the Bulls' defenders with them and leaving the side open for Curry and Noah.
The Bulls players didn't hesitate, sticking firmly to their opponents, all trusting Noah's defensive ability.
Soon, there was no one left near Curry and Noah, and Noah eyed Curry's baby-faced demeanor, spread his hands, and waited.
Noah still vividly remembered the game between Florida and Butler in March Madness 2006, when he and Brewer, Horford, and the other Florida youngsters dominated the NBA. Even Oden wasn't a match for them, but they almost lost to the Bulldogs.
Noah would never forget Curry's play in that game—8 threes, 39 points—that was the most dangerous moment on their way to back-to-back championships, and luckily, Curry passed to his teammates at the last moment, or Florida might have been eliminated in the round of 16.
Although Noah had entered the NBA and played for several years, he still thought Curry in that game was the toughest shooter he had ever seen.
As Noah's thoughts raced, he couldn't help but take a small step forward, wanting to completely seal off Curry's three-point shot space.
And at that moment, as he advanced, Curry moved the ball to the left, took a step with his right foot, and tried to use his speed to drive inside from Noah's right side.
Noah, not being a slow-footed big man, immediately reacted, trying to block Curry's path. But to cover Curry's three-point shot, the distance between him and Curry was too close. Curry used his speed to slip past him, then Curry stopped suddenly, leaned into Noah, and accelerated strongly, blowing by him entirely.
Gibson rushed to step forward, but instead of defending, he stood at the edge of the restricted area. Curry's one-step jumper from inside the free-throw line left Gibson in the dust.
Swish!
With a 2-0 lead, the Warriors got off to a great start.
"Yes! Curry easily broke Noah's defense and scored with a smooth jumper, giving the Bulls a nearly open shot, but their defense was a little sloppy on the first play," Mike Breen said.
Kerr wondered:
"Noah's defensive positioning is too high. Although Curry is very precise from three-point range, he shouldn't be this close to Curry. Curry has never been just a shooter, that's quite an oversight… And the Bulls' defensive strategy is very conservative. They rarely give opponents opportunities to break free. Right now, they're first in the league in opponent shooting percentage, so they rely on each player's individual defensive ability and commit very few fouls. Thibodeau must be thinking about adjusting his defensive strategy because of Curry, right?"
Just as Kerr was puzzling over Noah's momentary change in mood, the Bulls transitioned to offense.
Rose arrived at the front court with light steps. Compared to the tired Warriors, the Bulls had recently had a favorable schedule, playing at home and resting for two days before facing the East's Warriors today—both physically and mentally at their peak.
For the Warriors, as before, Klay defended Rose. After facing three opponents with no standout outside stars, Klay once again marked the beginning of a tough test.
Mike Breen also smiled:
"Klay vs. Rose, you all should have noticed that Coach Liam has always had the rookie Klay Thompson defend the opposing team's outside stars, starting with Kevin Martin of the Rockets and now with Rose today. But he's clearly not prepared, and often gets exposed by halftime, with Coach Liam replacing him with Tony Allen in the second half. I wonder if that will happen today..."
Of course, Rose on the court had no idea about Mike Breen's teasing of Klay, and even if he knew, he wouldn't sympathize with him.
The Bulls' coaching staff had considered beforehand that Klay might be defending Rose, so they had already made plans, and Rose naturally executed them according to the set tactics.
With a flick of his hand, the other Bulls players spread out to create space. Rose didn't ask for a screen, instead executing a huge change of direction in front of Klay, making Klay's center of gravity shift with him. Then Rose pushed off with his left foot, slightly accelerating and easily driving from Klay's right side toward the rim, completely passing him.
The Warriors and Bulls had different defensive strategies, and others had been waiting for this. When Rose pointed to Klay, Green stood at the edge of the restricted area, released Gibson from the corner, and got ready to help defend. After Rose broke Klay's defense, Green stepped in to help as quickly as possible.
Not only Green, but Chandler in the restricted area also stepped forward, collapsing Rose's driving lane. Everyone in the league knew that if Rose flew before reaching the restricted area, the three players under the rim wouldn't be able to stop him from finishing with his incredible skills near the hoop.
Rose wasn't the kind of player to just barrel in blindly. He saw his lane completely blocked and, not being reckless, immediately passed the ball to Gibson, who was left open by Green on the other side.
His broad vision allowed him to drop the pass perfectly into Gibson's hands, and he could shoot immediately without making any adjustments.
But unfortunately, Gibson wasn't known for his three-point shooting, so Green boldly left him open. After receiving the ball, Gibson immediately dribbled toward the basket, giving Green a timely chance to return to position and stop Gibson at the perimeter.
After Green stopped Gibson, he didn't continue to push forward. Instead, he passed the ball to Lore Deng at the 45-degree angle. When Lore Deng received the ball, he didn't shoot the three, but instead took two steps inside, used his body to press Matthews, and made a mid-range jumper.
That was the Bulls' offense: not very coordinated, but full of individual plays.
Bang Dang!
Under Matthews' interference, Gibson's basketball shot bounced off the rim and the ball went flying.
The rebound turned into a wild scramble as Gibson, helpless against Green, battled for the ball. On the other side, Noah collided with Chandler, and the ball was deflected by several large hands, changing direction and falling to the other side.
There was no mistake, just a scrappy, gritty battle under the basket.
As the four men struggled fiercely, a skilled figure darted in from the outside and snatched the rebound off the rim. It was Curry.
After grabbing the rebound, he looked up, ready to push the fast break, but Noah and Gibson's rebounding contest in the front court had given their teammates plenty of time to retreat. Although Matthews and Klay quickly pushed forward on the fast break when Lore Deng missed, Rose, Lore Deng, and Bogans had already retreated to the back court, and the Warriors missed their fast break opportunity. Curry had no choice but to slow down.
On the bench, Silas saw the Warriors lose their chance to defend and fast break and sighed lightly:
"It's a shame. Wesley's impact disrupted the Bulls' defensive formation. If you had passed earlier, Klay would have been wide open, but the delayed rebound made it fleeting."
Ron Adams looked at the court with a serious expression:
"You need to be mentally prepared. This is just the beginning. The Bulls lead the league in rebounding rate, and we might not have many fast break opportunities throughout this game."
Liam spoke in a deep voice:
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, we didn't plan to win this game with a fast break. Facing the Bulls, we'll inevitably have to fight a positional battle and defend."
He turned his head to look at Thibodeau across the scorer's table, his eyes revealing a solemn expression.
Liam expected the Bulls to fight fiercely, but didn't anticipate how Chandler and Green would almost get stolen in the front court. It seemed that the Warriors weren't about to give up any chances tonight. This game was destined to be a grinder, a meat grinder battle, and with Thibodeau's style, planning ahead was crucial.
...
Boom!
After going to the cover, he dismantled Noah and collided with Chandler, who was following him, making a muffled sound and splashing sweat, but both just huffed and charged into the next muscular collision.
Noah had a slight advantage in this confrontation. Rose saw it and launched the ball into the air. Noah jumped high, trying to finish the alley-oop, but Chandler, who was half a step late in jumping, showed a fierce glint in his eyes. Unusually brutal, he extended his hand and knocked Noah out of the air.
Bang Dang!
Noah, losing his balance, lost control of the basketball, and it bounced hard against the rim, flying high and shaking.
"Tic-"
The referee's whistle immediately sounded, sending Noah to the free-throw line.
After landing, Noah stumbled two steps, but only looked at Chandler and didn't react to the vicious foul. Even the other Bulls players on the court approached and patted Noah's chest and back, as if he had just suffered a simple thug foul.
Then, Noah made one of two free throws from a very peculiar position, and the ball went to the Warriors.
Curry arrived at the front court with the ball, blocked and dismantled by Chandler, and also passed an aerial relay to Chandler. But unlike the pass Rose made to Noah earlier, Chandler had more space for this ball, because Noah expanded his defense more than Chandler to delay Curry's three-point shot, allowing Chandler to be less obstructed when he received the pass.
Boom!
Seeing Chandler about to complete the open catch, Noah also fiercely embraced him, trying to knock Chandler down, but underestimated Chandler's mobility and explosiveness. Even though Chandler was injured, his physical talent remained the best in the league. The boxing king maintained his balance with excellent core strength and slammed the ball into the basket, with a chance to add a free throw.
After Chandler landed, he looked at Noah with disdain, high-fived his teammates in celebration, and stood at the free-throw line to complete the 2+0.
That's why Noah didn't react to Chandler's vicious foul at this moment—Noah had already committed a foul before Chandler's.
At this point, the game had reached 1 minute and 5 seconds left in the first quarter, with the score at 15-18, the Bulls leading by 3 points. Both teams fought for every inch of ground in each possession, never giving up. Flagrant fouls were common, and Chandler and Noah had already committed two fouls.
In this kind of game, the Bulls, with their vast experience, had a slight advantage on the court.
In the next minute, the two teams remained tied, and finally, the Bulls entered the second quarter with a 3-point lead over the Warriors at 21-18.
End of this chapter
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