One minute later, the Golden State's strongest dunker, Stephen Curry, officially made his NBA debut. Stepping onto the NBA stage for the first time, Curry was incredibly excited, yet also a little nervous. Before he went in, Curry looked up at the stands behind the Warriors' bench. His family was sitting there: his father, his mother, and of course, Seth Curry, who he could always beat one-on-one.
On TNT, as Curry subbed in for Nash, Barkley commented, "Will Dell Curry's 'Chosen One' surprise us?" "The Chosen One" was a nickname many American media outlets had given Curry recently. Why was Curry the Chosen One? First, according to authoritative sources, Curry was the rookie personally chosen by the GOAT in the draft. Second, he inherited the GOAT's former No. 30 jersey with the Warriors. So, combining those two, if Curry isn't the Chosen One, who is?
---
### Curry's Memorable (and Humorous) Debut
At the Staples Center, the surprise Barkley was hoping for arrived quickly. Although in his first defensive possession, Curry's mind was completely blank, the moment he noticed the GOAT successfully intercepting a pass from Lowry to Pau Gasol with an early read, his instincts instantly drove him to sprint towards the Lakers' half.
The GOAT spotted Curry's run. He then tossed him a perfect quarterback-style long pass. But just as the Lakers players had given up defending and the Warriors bench players were all preparing their towels to wave... Thud! The "Golden State's strongest dunker" slipped on the court, abruptly ending his dunking career right there.
When he received the pass from Zack, Curry had thought about finishing the play in various ways. But he ultimately chose the dunk he'd been dreaming of. It was a dream Vince Carter had instilled in a young Curry many years ago. It was the grand ambition in Curry's heart that Zack had further awakened earlier that night with his spinning windmill dunk.
However... as Curry prepared to jump with all his might for what he envisioned as a perfect dunk to score his first career basket, he ended up entertaining the entire arena — fans, opponents, and even teammates — like a circus clown.
On TNT, Barkley couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. In Barkley's memory, the Warriors' No. 30 was synonymous with soaring through the air, with being omnipotent. But now... how could the Warriors give the great No. 30 jersey to such a clown? Couldn't the Warriors find anyone else to inherit the GOAT's No. 30 jersey?
On the court, looking at the basketball that had rolled out of bounds, Curry dejectedly got up and retreated to his own half. As the Lakers fans' ear-splitting laughter filled the air, Curry, who had mentally prepared himself to be scolded for wasting the GOAT's brilliant pass, had nothing to say in his own defense.
But to Curry's surprise, after he retreated to his half, the GOAT actually patted his head and said, "The lights at Staples are pretty dazzling. I almost fell too the first time I dunked here."
Tears in his eyes, literally. Curry couldn't believe that the GOAT, who was usually so tough on his teammates, would actually comfort someone. But compared to the fiery GOAT from before the game, Curry noticed that as the game began, the GOAT seemed to be in a really good mood?
Curry guessed right. Zack was indeed in a great mood. Especially as Zack gradually found his rhythm in the game, he had already unconsciously immersed himself in the joy that playing basketball brought him. In this world... there was nothing that made Zack happier than playing basketball.
---
### The GOAT's Dominance
On the court, Zack ended his first-quarter performance with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, nearly completing a triple-double in a single quarter.
During the break, Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw told Odom, "Lamar, you have to change your defensive strategy now."
"Your abilities aren't enough to completely shut down the Messiah," Shaw said, gesturing at his clipboard. "You need to make full use of the NBA three-point line to contend with the Messiah."
Odom asked, somewhat confused, "How do I do that?"
Shaw explained, "Before the Messiah gets inside the three-point line, you can only retreat defensively to stop the Messiah from easily blowing past you."
At this moment, Shaw's advice to Odom made some sense, but who would have thought Odom's focus was actually... "Does he really get past me that easily?"
Hearing this, Shaw picked up a sports drink, took a sip, and said, "Him getting past you is probably as easy as me drinking this bottle of drink."
"..."
In Shaw's view, as Zack's ball-handling and combination skills became increasingly unguardable, most defensive players in the future would inevitably have to resort to drop coverage to limit his drives. Just like in the Warriors' two championship seasons, Zack successfully forced all his opponents to adopt limited defensive strategies to deal with the Warriors.
Why is the GOAT the GOAT? Whether facing Michael Jordan of old, or Zack now, because you can't stop him, gradually, all their opponents will reach a consensus: against the GOAT, your defensive possibilities are destined to be compressed by his individual ability, leaving only one or two defensive strategies that can slightly limit him.
Shaw knew very well that the NBA's extended three-point line was now a protective mechanism. Because for NBA athletes with extremely strong athleticism, even with drop coverage, they could instantly close out to the three-point line. So, to avoid being torn apart by the GOAT's unparalleled ball-handling skills, retreating defensively had become Odom's only option.
---
### The New Chemistry: Zack and Curry
Although the Lakers would certainly be forced to give the GOAT many open three-point attempts, considering that three-point shooting was the only relatively "short" piece among the GOAT's many strengths... therefore, in Shaw's opinion, as long as Odom could remain focused and provide some weak contests on the GOAT's pull-up threes, the rest was...
"We can only leave it to fate," Shaw said, recalling Jordan from back then. "He has already formed his own exclusive set of rules, a set of rules different in form from Michael Jordan's, but identical in nature."
In the second quarter, Zack returned to the game after resting for four minutes. It's worth noting that affected by his failed dunk in the first quarter, Curry hadn't scored his first career basket even by the time Zack came back in. At this point, Curry's stat sheet showed an embarrassing 0-for-3 shooting, with 0 points, 1 rebound, and 2 turnovers.
The Lakers had successfully narrowed the score to 47-40 while Zack was off the court. As last season's defending champions, this Lakers team would often be led by Ellis and Odom during rotation periods. However, since Odom was moved into the starting lineup today, Ellis and Battier were leading the second unit. But even so, the Lakers' second unit was still strong.
When Zack came on, the other four players on the court for the Warriors were Murphy, Hill, Dunleavy, and Curry. Zack knew very well that before the Warriors' main players returned, this was a lineup that could only outscore its opponents.
So, on the first offensive possession, Zack, holding the ball at the top of the arc, immediately called for Curry to come over for a hand-off. Before the so-called "Curry gravity" fully formed, working with Zack, who already had his own gravitational pull, was undoubtedly fortunate for Curry.
On the court, because Zack had already faked a drive and turn towards the Lakers' basket, Battier and Ellis's attention were both drawn to Zack at that moment. The next second, seeing Curry left wide open by the Lakers, Zack immediately threw a behind-the-back pass to him, then quickly moved to the other side, ready to crash the offensive boards.
CLANG!
THUD!
In the Lakers' paint, as Curry's three-point shot clanked off the rim, Zack immediately slammed home the put-back dunk! As they transitioned back defensively, Curry, who thought he'd be yelled at for his repeated misses, once again received comfort from the GOAT, "That was a good shot. You'll make it next time."
Zack wasn't worried that Curry wouldn't find his shooting touch. And through this play, Zack had already confirmed that Curry was indeed his perfect partner. It's well known that even the most individually talented top stars can't constantly dribble and go one-on-one on the court. Because even Michael Jordan couldn't handle every single shot for the entire team. So, to achieve the most efficient offense, Zack also needed his teammates' cooperation.
Perhaps Curry was a bit nervous in his career debut. Perhaps the "Staples curse" from his memory was still haunting Curry. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that as Curry developed, his shooting range would undoubtedly provide Zack with ample offensive space.
On the next offensive possession, Zack again held the ball high and called for Curry to come for a hand-off. This time, Curry, who still hadn't scored, was again selectively left open by the Lakers players. Seeing this, Zack again passed behind his back to Curry, then quickly pulled to the other side, ready to crash the offensive boards.
SWISH!
At the Staples Center, on his fifth shot attempt, Curry finally made his first career basket! Curry excitedly pumped his fist and immediately looked up towards his family. Then... Curry was subbed out by Nash, who had finally found a dead ball situation.
---
### The Show Time Returns
On the bench, through these two hand-off plays between Zack and Curry, Nash quickly reviewed his first-quarter performance, and after self-reflection, finally understood what Zack truly wanted. Zack wasn't Amar'e Stoudemire. He didn't need to rely on his passing to generate points. On the contrary, he himself was a player who could set up his teammates. Therefore, to partner with Zack, Nash first had to raise his own aggressiveness.
In the 1980s, the Lakers were renowned for their famous "Showtime." And now? Now it was the Warriors' "Showtime." The defending champions, the Lakers, became the perfect test subject for the Warriors' tactical research. On this night, when they were caught off guard, Nash, after entering the game, hit two consecutive threes from outside, which in turn gave Zack easy opportunities to attack the Lakers' basket.
After the Lakers brought their starters back in, they tried to seal off the paint with the height of the Gasol brothers. But under Odom's "leave-it-to-fate" defense, Zack, whose stamina happened to be dipping, started launching threes from outside with decisive confidence.
At halftime, the score was 77-61. Zack had tallied 29 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal in the first half alone. Facing the Warriors' relentless, fluid offense, Kobe, who had just received his fourth career ring before the game, immediately looked frustrated. On paper, the Lakers weren't inferior to the Warriors. But in the actual game, the GOAT, who was everywhere on both offense and defense, exerted his influence on the game, making everyone feel that long-forgotten fear.
---
### Kobe's Frustration
After halftime, in the third quarter: Kobe had just scored two points for the Lakers. Coming back down, seeing Odom constantly retreating in front of him, Zack first used a front-dribble crossover to close the distance with Odom, then executed another front-dribble crossover in the opposite direction. At that moment, Odom, wearing the Lakers' No. 7 jersey, was instantly turned into the famous Premier League's "Route 66" by Zack.
Zack drove straight down this "road" into the Lakers' restricted area and hit a floater over the Gasol brothers. This is the GOAT. Perhaps physical talent can help the GOAT overpower most defenses. But in the NBA, a league full of supermen, only divine skill can truly break down all defenses in a theoretical sense.
On the next offensive possession, the scene Nash had been waiting for finally appeared. After a hand-off with Zack, noticing Zack had used Brown's screen to cut deep into the Lakers' territory, Nash delivered a brilliant assist, setting him up for an alley-oop.
THUD!
From the Warriors' bench, looking at this beautiful picture, Malone said with tears in his eyes, "We are unstoppable!"
The Warriors, with two top-tier passing maestros, completely sealed the game's suspense in the third quarter with a 21-5 scoring run. In fact, compared to their two-championship run, the Warriors' defensive intensity in this game wasn't very high, largely due to Nash's defense being as porous as a potato chip bag. But amidst the Warriors' seemingly unending offensive onslaught, even this Lakers team, having been baptized by a championship, inevitably saw their own offense affected by their poor defense.
Kobe's mood started to sour. On this night of the Lakers' coronation, the King, Zack, returned, as if telling the world that the Lakers truly only won the championship because he was out injured last season.
After the first three quarters, Zack's personal stat sheet had risen to 45 points, 17 rebounds, 14 assists, 4 blocks, and 1 steal. And the score? On the Staples Center scoreboard, it read 110-81. Facing the Lakers' defense, which they had prided themselves on last season, the Warriors exploded for an absurd 110 points in just three quarters.
---
### The Aftermath and Reactions
While it's true that the Lakers' defensive intensity in this regular-season opener couldn't be compared to their Finals performance last season, in the hearts of countless fans, the recovered Zack had already shown the entire basketball world with his actions that he was the best player on this planet, and his Warriors were the best team in the league!
Thanks to the excellent performance of the starters, Curry successfully enjoyed the same treatment as Bronny in later generations that night. Although the "uncles" (teammates) put in their full effort not entirely to give Curry more playing time in garbage time, and even if there hadn't been their efforts, Curry would eventually grow into a capable player, it's an objective fact that Curry got to "practice" for a full quarter in his career debut.
In the fourth quarter, Curry went 5-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three, scoring 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in that single quarter.
Final score: 138-110. The Warriors swept through the City of Angels at the Staples Center with an astonishing offensive storm.
"The Messiah, in his return from injury debut, led the Warriors to conquer Los Angeles again with an incredibly convincing offensive performance!" — ESPN Breaking News
"When discussing this undeniably unpleasant coronation night, Kobe said the Warriors' victory was like a crisp, loud slap in the face for the defending champions. 'If we want to defend our title this season, we need to do better. Both on and off the court, we must approach every game with the utmost humility.'" — Los Angeles Times
"When asked what it felt like to be able to play basketball again, the Messiah said that during his long recovery, it felt like ten thousand ants were crawling inside him every day. 'You know, basketball is my eternal love, so being able to play basketball again is the happiest thing for me personally.'" — San Francisco Chronicle
"In the Cavaliers' 80-95 regular season opener loss to the Magic on the road, one of the NBA's most outstanding players last season, LeBron James, tallied 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Cavaliers. After the game, in an interview, LeBron said, 'I hate the Magic's defense, and all their non-basketball fouls in the game.' Additionally, LeBron said he still had confidence in bringing a championship trophy to his hometown of Cleveland, 'You know, I won't turn 25 for another month, so in a sense, I'm still a young player. I believe that one day, I will definitely bring a championship trophy to the city of Cleveland.'" — The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
"In the Knicks' unexpected 108-101 upset win over the Hawks, Kevin Durant, who scored 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Knicks, said after the game, 'We are a team with incredible talent, and we also have a veteran like Shaq O'Neal to lead us. I believe we can become a dark horse this season.'" — The New York Times
"After Blake Griffin was ruled out for the entire season due to surgery, Stephen Curry, one of this year's top Rookie of the Year candidates, put up a stat line of 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in his career debut. In an interview with this station's reporter, Stephen said he was very happy to be working with a group of like-minded teammates. 'This is a memorable moment in my life. Although I almost messed up the game after getting on the court, the encouragement and comfort from my teammates quickly helped me recover.'" — TNT Post-Game Interview
---
What a return for the GOAT! It seems Zack is back with a vengeance, and the rest of the league, including Kobe and LeBron, are taking notice.