Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.
patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Halftime passed quickly, and both teams returned to the court. The spectators, who had taken this time to go to the bathroom, buy food, and eat, also returned to their seats, and the game resumed.
Both teams were sent to their starting lineups. The Warriors wanted to maintain their lead, while the Thunder aimed to close the gap. The third quarter was bound to be a fierce battle.
The Thunder had the ball for their first possession of the second half. Westbrook continued his excellent form from the first half, driving past Klay's defense and reaching Green's help defense before the zombie jumper could get in position.
65:54
After the basket was made, Westbrook passionately slapped his chest. Brooks had given the players a lot of pep talk during halftime, and the Thunder's momentum surged once again. Westbrook was even more determined, vowing to win the game.
Looking back, Curry and Chandler ran a pick-and-roll, but no matter how slow Brooks was, the time it took to reach midcourt was enough for him to react. This time, Perkins didn't stay inside but pressed, lunged toward Curry, delayed his shot, and then switched with Sefolosha.
Curry quickly reacted, using the space between Perkins and Sefolosha to pass the ball to Chandler, who caught it and immediately attacked the basket.
However, the pick-and-roll was positioned beyond the three-point line, Chandler was too far from the area, and his dribbling was mediocre, allowing Ibaka to help with the defense. He was forced to step in just inside the free-throw line.
Chandler had limited vision, and could only see Green, who had been left open by Ibaka. He quickly passed the ball, and Green caught it at mid-range, sweeping from left to right. His teammates had opponents in front of them, but he was in the open position, and Ibaka didn't rush to challenge him.
At that point, Green couldn't pass the ball anymore. He adjusted, leaned forward, and launched an open three-pointer with an awkward position.
Boom!
The basketball flew in a low, flat arc, crashed into the front of the rim, bounced high, and then dropped back into the basket. The Thunder seized the opportunity to counter, with Westbrook scoring a three-pointer to follow Durant.
65:57, the Thunder closed the gap to a single-digit deficit.
"Tick-"
Just as Durant and Westbrook were celebrating, the whistle blew, and everyone turned around, but it was Liam who had called a timeout, only 48 seconds after the start of the second half.
On the Thunder's bench, Brooks looked at Liam in surprise. He didn't expect Liam to call a timeout so quickly. This was completely beyond his understanding. If it were him, even if the opposing team had tied the score, he would've waited a little longer to see if his players could adjust and only make adjustments when the situation completely collapsed.
Although the Warriors' coaching staff was generally well-prepared before the game, and sometimes didn't need to adjust everything, whenever the situation on the court was unfavorable, no matter the time, no matter how far ahead the Warriors were, Liam would immediately call a timeout to make adjustments, without delay.
Since the second half started, no one was tired. After returning to the bench, they didn't sit down to rest but gathered around Liam, knowing that Liam must have strategies to organize.
Indeed, surrounded by everyone, Liam didn't waste time with small talk. He didn't give a pep talk. He took a marker and began to write and draw on the tactical board:
"Look at this, everyone pay attention to your positions, and we will fight this way... later."
"Hum…"
The long sound of the buzzer echoed, and the brief timeout that Liam had called quickly ended. Both teams returned to the court, simply raising the morale and warning players to be cautious of the Warriors' tactical changes. Brooks clapped with satisfaction and looked at Liam across the technical table.
He wanted to see how the Warriors would play this possession. The Thunder had gained momentum, and with the combined efforts of Willis Durant, Brooks was confident they could beat any team.
On the court, the Warriors inbounded the ball to the sideline. Curry held the ball at the top of the arc. Klay and Butler landed respectively in the lower corners on both sides to space the floor. Chandler stood near the left side of the paint, tangled with Perkins. Green elevated to cover Curry, and Ibaka immediately followed.
During halftime, Brooks had repeatedly emphasized that they needed to protect against Curry's three-pointers. Anytime he played a pick-and-roll, he had to be forced to back off and not be given space to shoot. Then, they would switch immediately, letting Sefolosha cover Curry while the others needed to shrink the interior and prevent Curry from passing or feeding the roll.
This was one of the standard pick-and-roll methods. Brooks made it clear, and the Thunder executed it flawlessly during the practice days.
Ibaka's strong delay left Curry without space for a three-pointer, and Sefolosha slipped through the coverage fast enough to connect with Ibaka. They stayed with Curry as they completed the delayed retreat, not giving Curry any space from the pick-and-roll.
But with Curry defending fiercely, it was inevitable to relax Green's guard. After Curry drew Ibaka and Sefolosha's attention, he hit the floor and passed the ball to Green, who was left open.
After Green received the ball, he attacked the basket. His dribbling was much stronger than Chandler's, and he quickly ran toward the free-throw line, setting up an offensive frame. Perkins saw this and had to lunge at Green with all his might, not having time to worry about Chandler behind him.
Green saw Perkins approaching to help defend, and without hesitation, he continued toward the paint, waiting until Perkins got close to him. Then he tossed the ball up to the sky leisurely. Chandler, jumping high behind Perkins, caught the pass from Green at the most comfortable height and slammed the ball into the basket.
Boom!
The basket shook violently as Chandler filled the frame with his forceful dunk. Chandler yanked on the rim to stabilize it for a moment before slamming it down with a loud crash. He clenched his fists and roared triumphantly into the sky, filled with dominance.
67:57, the margin was back to double digits.
After celebrating, Chandler smiled and pointed to Green, intending to thank him for the pass. Green nodded triumphantly, patted his chest in self-defense, and it was clear that he would pass to Chandler next time.
In the next possession, Westbrook drove into the Warriors' interior and missed a layup under Chandler's interference. The Warriors seized the opportunity to push a fast break. Klay missed a fast-break three-pointer, but the rebound in the frontcourt was grabbed by Butler, who passed it outside.
Curry held the ball outside the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the left side, pressed his hand down, signaling to stabilize the rhythm. He then gestured, and Klay and Butler saw it, immediately running to the weak side, standing in the lower corner and outside the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the right side. Chandler moved from the left side of the basket to the right, leaving the strong side entirely for Curry and Green.
Green saw all three fall into position and immediately moved to the three-point line to cover Curry, with Ibaka following him closely.
At that moment, when Ibaka first entered the league, he was at his most athletic and mobile. Curry saw him defend, adjusted his rhythm while dribbling behind his back, and took a step back to set up a pick with Green beyond the three-point line.
This caused Ibaka, who was about to come close for a big delay, to hesitate. Although Brooks had asked him to protect Curry's three-pointers, Curry was so far from the basket. After hesitating, he unconsciously relaxed his guard, only stepping on the three-point line with symbolic interference before turning around and retreating.
But it was this moment of relaxation that gave Curry space to shoot. He didn't pass the ball to Green, but instead used a behind-the-back dribble to adjust his rhythm and raised his hand to launch a long-distance three-pointer!
Sefolosha, who had just passed through the screen, saw Curry shoot the three-pointer and rushed at him before he could jump, trying his best to interfere with his shot.
Splat!
Sefolosha's action was too reckless. He couldn't stop his momentum and crashed straight into Curry. His right hand also struck Curry's arm with force. Curry fell to the ground, and the referee, who had been keeping an eye on the play, immediately blew the whistle.
Sefolosha regretted it, but before he could get up, there was an uproar of cheers like a tsunami in his ears. He quickly looked up, only to see the basketball Curry had launched flying in a long trajectory and falling directly into the basket—a 3 + 1!
This only relieved Sefolosha's frustration. It turned out that Curry's ultra-long three-pointer was indeed possible, and his aggressive defense didn't make a mistake.
Curry, who had fallen to the ground, stared at the basketball that flew through the air. When he saw it go in, he swung his fist strongly and, without waiting for his teammates to pull him up, jumped to his feet, raised his hands, and saluted fiercely, igniting the emotions of the crowd.
By the time he stepped to the free-throw line, the arena was filled with shouts of "MVP." Curry heard the mountain-like chants in his ears. He gritted his teeth, squinted slightly, and confidently made the free throws.
71:57, the gap widened abruptly.
On the bench, Brooks shook his head in disappointment but merely signaled to give the ball to Durant to play one-on-one, stabilize the rhythm, and didn't call a timeout for adjustments like Liam did. The game continued.
And Durant truly didn't disappoint. After receiving the pass from Westbrook, he defended Butler beyond the three-point line, using a step-back + a change of direction with his large body, and after creating space, he took a step forward and scored two points consistently.
71:59
Brooks sighed in relief, but as soon as his heart settled, Curry turned around and set a pick with Green. When Ibaka came out, he passed the ball to Green, who ran straight into the interior without stopping, drawing Perkins' help defense, and sent Chandler another wide-open catch!
73:59, Brooks frowned again.
On the sideline, Silas, who was sitting to the right of Liam, clapped twice and nodded repeatedly:
"Liam, you're right. Although Brooks will pay attention to Stephen's three-pointers, he won't change his basic defensive strategy. As long as Stephen and Draymond play the pick-and-roll, they can deal with the Thunder's strong delay on him."
Liam smiled slightly and said:
"Both Stephen and Draymond can handle the ball. Stephen has indefensible shots, and Draymond's coverage is high enough. The pick-and-roll between both of them can generate countless variations that Brooks won't be able to handle if he's not prepared."
Silas sighed:
"Yes, they understand each other well now, but to be honest, when Draymond first came to the team, he and Stephen had a pretty average relationship. After all, their education was too different, and they didn't have much in common. I remember Draymond didn't talk much with Stephen during the first half of the month… Who would've thought that after just playing together for one season, they could know what's going on in each other's minds."
Liam listened to Silas's words, smiled, and said nothing, but there was a hint of nostalgia in his eyes as he whispered to himself:
"Of course, this is Curry and Green, the irrepressible duo dismantling and chasing..."
At this moment, the Oracle Arena was filled with noise due to Green and Chandler's empty dunks, and his voice was inaudible, unheard by anyone.
After this score, the Warriors continued using Curry to pursue and dismantle the Thunder's defense. The rookie Ibaka couldn't handle the changing offense. He didn't stop, didn't shrink, and could only helplessly watch Curry and Green in the back, not knowing how to defend at all.
And Brooks, until that moment, continued insisting on the defensive strategy formulated before the game, meaning not containing Curry and not letting Ibaka switch the defense. Even though the commentators and the fans on the bench could see that the Thunder's defense had been completely defeated by Curry and Green's screen, Brooks kept insisting on the interior-first defensive strategy, even shrinking Green's defense inside on the second ball, and didn't give Curry a chance to control the game entirely.
However, in these moments, the momentum was gaining.
The final quarter began with a clear difference. Even though the Thunder made a remarkable effort, the gap was simply too big. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden fought with all their might, but the Warriors' pace was unbreakable. Curry and Green's cooperation continued to wreak havoc, and Chandler, always prepared, took advantage of the opportunities under the rim. As time passed, the Thunder's defense simply couldn't handle the fluid and explosive offense of the Warriors.
The score reflected the battle: 93-74 at the end of the third quarter, an impressive result for the Warriors in a playoff series that was already showing the intensity of a championship-caliber team. Even though Durant and Westbrook were doing everything they could, the Thunder were running out of time.
With less than 10 minutes left, Coach Liam made another strategic move and brought back his starters for the final push. His decision was clear: they were going to fight until the end. It wasn't that the game was lost, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to close that 19-point gap. The Thunder didn't give up, but the Warriors' defense and offensive cohesion were simply too much.
As the Warriors continued to stretch their lead, the loud roars of the fans signaled their dominance. With just over 2 minutes left, Curry assisted Green for an easy basket, pushing the Warriors' lead to 16 points. Any hopes of a comeback by the Thunder were quickly dashed.
In the next round, the Thunder's offense became disorganized. Despite Westbrook's relentless drive, he couldn't break through the layers of defense the Warriors had built. His pass went astray, and the Warriors took advantage, launching a fast break. The Thunder, even with their desperation, didn't have time to recover.
With the game all but decided, Coach Liam shook his head in frustration, signaling for a timeout as he conceded the inevitable defeat.
As the game entered garbage time, Coach Liam pulled back his players, knowing the battle was over. The final whistle blew, and the Warriors took the win, 119-105, marking the end of the first playoff encounter between the two teams.
End of this chapter
Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.