no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 282 A worthy opponent

Two minutes into the third quarter, the Bulls had extended their lead to 15 points.

Cole immediately reached out and called a timeout.

15 points is a watershed. If the momentum of being continued to open up the score cannot be stopped, then the Warriors' game tonight will be settled.

And in the third game after the big score of 1-1, the outcome of this game will become the first watershed in the finals.

Of course, the biggest problem facing the Warriors at this time does not come from the lagging score on the field, but the internal problems of the team at this time.

Green's snickering was seen by the Warriors players, and James's angry words were directly thrown in the faces of the Warriors players.

The conflict that was suppressed and the landmine that was detonated has now directly exploded the atmosphere within the Warriors.

Cole held the tactical board and looked at the situation in front of him, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Curry's last speech basically bound his relationship with Green. Although James is a "migrant", his background status is there.

Curry and James are both things he can't face head-on.

And the intensity of the conflict now cannot be eased with just a few words like before.

The bench was less than one square meter, but the smell of gunpowder was so strong that it choked my nose.

But at this moment, an unexpected person stood up and walked straight towards James.

Cole had a surprised look on his face when he saw it.

Because that person is Curry.

Because of his personality, Curry rarely speaks out in the Warriors, and he is not even good at handling conflicts within the team.

This is actually one of the reasons why Curry has such a good relationship with Green, because before this, Green was regulating most things within the Warriors.

But Curry walked towards James at this time, which really made everyone, including James, a little at a loss.

"You don't want to lose to him again, right?" Curry looked at James and said.

This is a powerful statement, especially when said in person.

James was completely shocked, because he not only knew Curry's character, but also knew that he had a good relationship with Curry.

The rest of the Warriors also looked nervous, because this was just adding fuel to the fire.

But Curry's next words relieved the tense atmosphere.

"Like I don't want to either."

James hesitated to speak.

"We all know that he wants to provoke us, and he does it because he knows that is the only way to defeat us. We are stronger than him."

It has to be said that Curry has always been very smart, but his personality makes him not suitable to be the loud talker, and you can't imagine what his baby face looks like in the locker room.

But at this moment, every sentence he said was on point, and every sentence was correct.

James nodded.

Curry didn't say anything more, but he didn't go back to sit down either. Instead, he walked straight to Green.

"Draymond, we need you, we need that guy to win."

Normally it would be very offensive to say this from Curry's mouth, but at this moment, the Warriors players felt Curry's desire, because it was that desire that made Curry do what he did. This is an unusual behavior.

And it is rare for Curry to be able to make fifty rebounds in each game in such a tense atmosphere.

In other words, the only person on the Warriors who can do this at this moment is Curry.

The short whistle sounded on the sidelines and the timeout came quickly.

When Xu Yong came on the court, he was suddenly attracted by the actions of the Warriors because he saw everyone in the Warriors shouting a slogan together before they came on the court.

This gave him a bad feeling.

When the game continued, his hunch was confirmed.

After coming up, in the first round of the Warriors' offense, James cut in and received a pass from Green for a layup.

Not only Xu Yong, but after seeing this, the Bulls players and even many fans at the scene felt incredible.

Yes, fans in the Bay Area are certainly aware of the conflict between James and Green.

But Xu Yong quickly realized the reason for what was happening in front of him, because Curry successively high-fived Green and James while retreating.

After understanding this, Xu Yong's understanding of Curry improved a lot.

Maybe Curry doesn't show his leadership ability most of the time, but he obviously has this ability.

This means that the Bulls will not win the game so easily tonight.

However, this made Xu Yong become excited.

There are many ways to win. In an unfavorable situation, it is a wise choice to disintegrate the opponent from within.

But if you can defeat the enemy head-on like G1, that will be the most exciting scene.

Although the outcome is still uncertain, the fighting spirit in Xu Yong's heart is already as aggressive as fire.

After bypassing Adams' screen to catch the ball, he went straight to the basket with great speed.

Pachulia immediately dodged after seeing it. It wasn't that he was afraid, but he had already been dunked twice by Xu Yongsheng in this round of the finals alone.

"Oh!"

Xu Yong's one-handed gliding back dunk stunned the fans at the scene.

And this is just the beginning.

Back on the defensive end, when James received Curry's pass again and wanted to score twice, Xu Yong came directly from the side and slapped James' shot onto the backboard.

Not to mention, after completing the block, Xu Yong directly picked up the rebound in the air and landed on the ground. After turning around, he started a fast break.

The rest of the Warriors barely had time to react. The only one who had time to react was Thompson, who was directly wiped out by Xu Yong's change of direction without slowing down.

After rushing to the frontcourt, Xu Yong directly hit the ball into the basket with a trademark windmill dunk.

And after landing, Xu Yong rarely waved his fist quickly and forcefully at the camera twice.

This was a kind of emotional catharsis, as if there was uncontrollable fire spurting out of his body.

The score difference on the court returned to 15 points again.

The scene was agitated.

"The Warriors showed unexpected adjustments, but Xu Zai told the Warriors and Bay Area fans in his own way that he will definitely win this game!" Barkley was extremely excited when he saw this behind the scenes in the commentary box, and did not pretend to .

Encouraged by Xu Yong, the morale of the Bulls players rebounded instantly, and they successfully defended against another wave of attacks by the Warriors.

"This is the meaning of a leader's existence!" Beside Barkley, the always calm Kenny Smith couldn't help but sigh.

When he saw the Warriors adjusting just now, he thought the Warriors were going to make a comeback.

Looking back, Xu Yong attacked the basket again, and this time his strong attack successfully caused Pachulia's defensive foul.

After walking to the free throw line, Xu Yong made two free throws without any interference from the scene.

The score difference began to move towards the 20-point mark.

And once they are stretched to 20 points, the Warriors will really be at their wits end.

But when Xu Yong made a free throw, Cole had replaced Pachulia with Iguodala.

Although it came later than planned, the Warriors' five deadliest players still arrived as scheduled. Thibodeau responded very quickly this time. Before Xu Yong completed his second free throw, he also replaced Adams with Jokic.

Although they had only played two games in the finals, just like a couple who only started the second round, their familiarity with each other was not something they only had tonight.

The Bulls' defensive strategy is also very clear, let Green go, and then take care of James and Curry.

Green did not, or did not dare to take a shot at will at this time. He finally sent the ball to Curry with a hand-to-hand pass.

Curry made almost no adjustments. With Green's screen, he drifted directly into the air and shot a three-pointer.

This kind of drift three-pointer is not particularly difficult, but because he is Curry, the ball maintains an incredibly perfect arc after taking the shot.

Push shooting does not require an angle, even if it is floating, it can be fast and accurate.

"Shh!"

The basketball draws a low-arc parabola and then goes straight through the net bag.

"This is Stephen!" Smith exclaimed in the commentary box.

Even Barkley and O'Neal, who didn't like the Warriors very much, nodded in agreement.

Curry's three-pointer quenched his thirst.

It can even be said that Curry's performance in this year's playoffs impressed them.

But just as Smith's sighing voice fell, Xu Yong turned around to receive Jokic's pass in the paint, passed directly over James who was assisting in defense, and then glided and smashed the ball into the basket through Green with both hands.

Three times, Xu Yong has ravaged the Warriors' penalty area three times in a row!

The score difference on the field returned to 16 points again.

Even if Curry hits a difficult three-pointer, the Bulls still maintain their lead on the court.

Many fans at the scene subconsciously looked up to see the score.

Although three points are one more than two points, the score does not change much this time, but time is passing, and the three-point shooting rate is low. Curry can make the first one and the second one. ?

Curry’s answer is: Yes!

Curry and James started a pick-and-roll. James' quick cut forced the Bulls to switch defenses. After Curry stepped back from outside the three-point line, he threw directly one meter away from the three-point line.

Anderson's reaction was already fast, but he couldn't withstand Curry's one-shot shot which was too fast.

Before his hand interfered with Curry, Curry had already completed the shot.

"Shh!"

The basketball is like a whizzing arrow, piercing the net again!

Curry, consecutive three-pointers!

The score difference came to 13 points.

But soon, Xu Yong passed the ball to Jokic after being flanked. After receiving Jokic's pass, he passed Green's jelly and scored again.

Even fans who don't watch much football can feel the chemical reaction between Xu Yong and Jokic on the offensive end.

Xu Yong also high-fived Jokic while retreating. Although the Bulls couldn't give Jokic a bigger stage, they couldn't stop him from displaying his talents in a limited time.

The point difference returned to 15 points again.

In other words, the Warriors played almost three minutes after returning from the timeout, and they failed to get closer to a point.

Obviously some fans in the Bay Area can't sit still. If Curry's consecutive three-pointers can't bring a chance to the Warriors, then where will their chance come from?

And after consecutive scoring on the offensive end, the Bulls' defensive intensity is also increasing.

The Warriors were blocked in two consecutive offensive attempts, and Thompson threw the ball to James without using his phone.

After James was assisted on defense, he threw the ball to Curry, which almost only had 1 second left.

Curry didn't even mention taking aim at this time, he didn't even complete the complete shooting posture, it was just a sniper.

"Shh!"

But the sound of entering the net came out again, and Curry actually completed three consecutive hits!

Incredible three hits in a row!

Even Buckley opened his mouth wide at this time.

Curry's shooting skills have exceeded his understanding of the so-called jump shot.

When it comes to three-pointers, Curry completely left behind Ray Allen and his predecessors.

Although the three-point shooting itself is not ornamental, Curry is destined to be extraordinary if he can shoot the three-pointer.

The Oracle Arena was also completely ignited at this time. The 12-point difference would be a single-digit difference if Curry had another one!

But before their cheers ended, Xu Yong used his performance to tell them that they were thinking too much.

After holding the ball and breaking through to the inside and encountering many people's defense, Xu Yong threw the ball to Jokic at the top of the arc. Jokic's three-point shot rose and fell.

Although it is not a five-small lineup, when not playing low-post tactics in the interior, Jokic is a space insider.

This also made the Warriors fans at the scene feel jealous. They are also good at passing the ball. If James and Green are packaged together and Jokic and Butler are replaced, what height can the Warriors reach?

Curry moved again on the offensive end and was chased by many people on the Bulls team.

When a player throws three three-pointers in a row, it's hard not to pay attention to him.

But Curry showed his passing ability, passing the ball to James who cut inside after covering the screen, and assisted James to score inside.

To put it bluntly, Curry is essentially the same point guard as Thomas the Bulls met in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but their passing ability is overshadowed by their scoring ability.

The two teams began to enter a stalemate.

This situation is obviously more beneficial to the Bulls.

In other words, although the landmine detonated by Xu Yong did not achieve as great an effect as expected, it did work.

Because Xu Yong and Curry staged a scoring battle, the two teams were evenly matched, and the advantage the Bulls had established before was eventually transformed into a victory.

Two minutes before the end, the Bulls still held a 12-point lead.

Butler began to control the rhythm with the ball, and Warriors fans were extremely desperate.

This time the Warriors failed to continue to narrow the point difference like in G1. One minute before the end, Cole also replaced the main force and surrendered in advance.

When Curry came off the court, he sat on the bench in a daze, then shook his head with empty eyes.

He did everything he could and beyond, but the Warriors still lost.

And the key is that the loss was very rude, because when Butler was injured, the Warriors were obviously stronger, but in the end they lost because of the conflicts within the team during that period.

The final whistle sounded, and the score on the court was finally fixed at 121 to 111. The Bulls defeated the Warriors by 10 points, and also changed the finals score to 2 to 1.

The Bulls players couldn't hide the excitement on their faces. This game not only allowed them to regain the home court advantage, but more importantly, it also boosted their morale.

In the handshake ceremony after the game, Xu Yong took the initiative to give Curry a big hug.

Curry scored 43 points tonight and made 7 three-pointers. It was his best performance since the Finals.

They are rivals, but Curry is a respectable rival.

But for the unwillingness on Curry's face, he also felt that it was not necessary.

Does detonating a landmine mean that winning is a defeat?

So Butler was injured and the Warriors won G2 head-on?

Injuries and conflicts are all part of the game, and they are also parts that every champion needs to overcome.

But he also knew that the next game would be more difficult, because the Warriors' unprecedented unity in the second half put a lot of pressure on the Bulls.

It can be said that if he hadn't inspired his desire, the Bulls would probably have been overturned in the second half.

But that's the beauty of the game of basketball.

The outcome is still uncertain, but we can expect it.

(End of this chapter)