Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 297: Mid-gate confrontation
Irving sat there in a daze when he came off the court.

When the staff handed him the towel, he simply ignored it.

He is not a player like Jokic who always shows his emotions on his face, but it can be seen that he is not in a good mood.

The reason why it’s not good is easy to understand, or perhaps his current mood is similar to Green’s.

After training hard for a whole summer, I was thinking of showing my skills in the new season, but I didn't expect to suffer a heavy blow at the very beginning.

His defense against Curry in the first quarter was not very effective, but rather completely useless.

In a sense, Curry's playing style completely overturned his understanding of basketball.

Curry's three-pointer is as easy as his layup. Who else does it like that!
Han Sen's attention was originally on Jokic who was about to play. When he turned around and saw the staff being ignored, he noticed Irving.

"If the other side can be easily reached, it means it has no value." Han Sen said to Owen.

After spending a season together, he has a deeper understanding of Irving. Apart from his somewhat selfish personality, Irving's biggest hobby is reading.

He's not the type who has read The Godfather six times but can't recite a single famous quote, or the type who pretends to read a book in front of the camera but holds it upside down. Irving really reads books and takes notes very seriously.

So when Han Sen said this to him, he actually understood it better.

Of course, translated into human language, it means: success is not that easy.

Owen nodded.

Han Sen didn't know if he really heard it, but his attention was now drawn to Jokic on the court.

Jokic made a turnover as soon as he came on the court.

It was an opportunity that clearly allowed him to score, but he chose to pass the ball to JR, but JR didn't react.

"Nikola, play more decisively." Hansen shouted to Jokic who was retreating.

Jokic performed well in every aspect of the preseason except that he had a low desire to score.

Just like some people like to ride horses by themselves, but some people like to watch others ride, which is more pleasurable than riding themselves. Jokic belongs to the latter.

The good news is that Jokic listens to advice, especially from Hansen.

On the next offensive round, Jokic was in the low post with his back to Ezeli.

Williams saw it and fed the ball directly in.

The advantage of being the team's "lively treasure" is that he will really get some special care.

Ezeli was a rookie selected by the Warriors in the same year as Green. He was five picks higher than Green and was the starting center before Bodogan joined the team.

2米11的身高2米28的臂展，再加上120公斤的体重，他的体型在低位就是个防守怪物。

Jokic's back-to-the-basket shot after receiving the ball was completely ineffective against him, and his continuous turning around failed to create a comfortable shooting space. In the end, he could only use a Nowitzki-style turning and one-legged shot.

Don't be surprised. To be able to get Han Sen's recognition for his low-post back-to-the-basket technique, he must have quite a lot of skills.

It's just that his speed is indeed slow, even after losing weight, it's still slow, and Ezeli successfully interfered with him when he shot.

In order to avoid being blocked, Jokic was forced to raise the arc of his shot, and the ball looked like a high toss in golf.

This ball was extremely difficult, but what no one at the scene expected was that he actually made it in the end!

This stunned the Warriors players on the sidelines, but the Cavaliers bench was in an uproar.

Even Hansen stood up and applauded Jokic. He is the team's live treasure and his popularity index is at its highest.

Of course, this ball is also exciting enough.

As a Serbian craftsman, Jokic's skills are not only reflected in his passing, but also in his soft touch.

It was crucial for Yao Ming to have that soft touch back then, or in other words, this was the strongest talent of a big man on the offensive end.

And this talent was continued to be demonstrated in the next offensive round, and Jokic also showed a wave of basketball IQ.

He did not continue to position himself in the low post. After trying a difficult shot, he took the initiative to screen for Williams and then bounced out to the top three-point line.

The quality of his pick-and-roll was not good, and the Warriors chose to double-team Williams, but Williams passed the ball in time.

The Warriors' reaction at this time was very interesting.

Ezeli didn't have time to rush out, and Barbosa didn't move out.

Most of the Warriors players clearly don't understand Jokic.

Curry, who is familiar with the situation, probably didn't expect Jokic to enter the rotation so quickly, and he stood up to remind Jokic that he had a three-pointer.

However, his reminder came too late. After seeing that no one was rushing towards him, Jokic threw the ball directly from the outside.

"Shh!"

As the crisp sound of the ball entering the net was heard, the scene fell into a commotion.

Who else but you? You scored 5 points right after coming up?!

Walton reached out and called a timeout.

The Cavaliers suddenly had such a space-type inside player, which caught him off guard.

"Do you feel strong now?" Han Sen looked at Jokic when he left the court.

Jokic smiled and scratched his head.

It seems, as if, that it is not weak.

After the timeout, Barbosa and Ezeli played a pick-and-roll, then accelerated to break through Jokic and scored with a backhand rebound.

Jokic's strengths and weaknesses are now obvious.

When the offense and defense changed, Jokic continued to stand at the top of the arc.

Ezer was forced to pull out.

It’s not that Walton doesn’t want to switch defense, but the Cavaliers’ power forward is Cunningham, who is also a space-type inside player.

Williams suddenly felt as if the Pacific Ocean appeared in front of him.

He crouched down and rushed in, successfully causing Barbosa to commit a defensive foul and sending himself to the free throw line.

In fact, the best use of Jokic is to have the ball in his hands, so that his passing talent can be fully utilized. Now he is more like a Hoyes who can back up in the low post on the court.

But it's unrealistic for a rookie to have so much ball possession, at least not now.

Han Sen also gained possession of the ball little by little back then.

But even without the ball, Jokic has now played the role of a surprise soldier.

Originally, the Warriors relied on their deep bench to beat the Cavaliers in the substitute transition period of last season's finals, but now they are holding on.

At the end of the first half, the score between the two teams was tied at 58.

The Warriors are visibly stronger than last season, but the Cavaliers' lineup depth is also visibly better than last season.

The two teams were evenly matched at halftime. Everyone from the coaching staff to the players on the Cavaliers side was excited, while Walton on the Warriors side was not panicked at all.

Because after returning from the break in the second half, Walton directly replaced Bodog with Iguodala as the starting player.

The Warriors also used this lineup in the finals last season, but with Curry's changes, the threat of this lineup will also become different.

In the first round, Curry used Green's hand-to-hand pass to the outside and hit his fourth three-pointer of the night.

In previous games, it was considered a lot for Curry to make 4 three-pointers in a game, but tonight it looked like he was just warming up.

However, the Cavaliers quickly got a two-point shot from the high post by Garnett.

The Warriors' death lineup has a very fast rotation speed on the defensive end, but the Cavaliers have experience in dealing with it after playing against it last season.

But the Warriors' next move was something the Cavaliers had not expected. Garnett was still beating his chest in celebration after the shot, while the Warriors had already had Green's fast-forward pass from the backcourt, and Curry dribbled forward quickly.

At the same time, Green, who had just passed the ball, quickly entered the court, and other Warriors players also rushed forward.

Generally speaking, as long as the team can score the ball, it can drag the game into a positional battle.

But the Warriors are forcing the pace, and the key is because of Curry, it is difficult to stop them.

After Curry quickly advanced to the frontcourt three-point line, he glanced at the basket to alert Irving's center of gravity, and then accelerated to break through.

The Warriors' positioning is also very run-and-gun, with the classic "V" shape creating space on the left and right.

When the Cavaliers' defensive players were forced to retreat because of Curry's breakthrough threat, Curry accelerated and turned sideways to throw the ball to Iguodala in the corner.

Iguodala received the ball and adjusted before making a three-pointer.

Curry is not Nash, but because of his offensive threat, the Warriors' fast play is no worse than that of the Suns team back then.

Malone turned around and called JR.

Garnett now does not have the ability to punish Green in the low post. Jokic does not have enough game experience, so he is okay when playing as a substitute and taking people by surprise. If he really goes straight to the high-end game, he will be chased and beaten by Curry. The only way now is to use five small against five small.

Hansen broke through and attracted help defense, then fed the ball to TT under the basket, who successfully dunked it with both hands.

Although the Warriors' defensive rotation is fast enough, Hansen's passing ability is so strong that he can always find teammates with opportunities whenever he is double-teamed.

But the Warriors pushed the ball again, and this time Curry advanced to the front of the logo position and suddenly attacked, hitting a three-pointer.

Owen experienced pupil earthquake again at this time.

He listened to what Han Sen said to him, but brother, this is not how you play basketball!
How can he defend against such a beating?
62:67.

The Cavaliers scored on every possession they had in the second half, but they are now trailing by 5 points!
Their scores seemed like a drop in the bucket compared to the Warriors' three-point rain.

Seeing that the ball was still in play, Malone called a timeout.

"Stephen is changing the sport!" O'Neal exclaimed in the commentary booth.

He and Barkley originally said that "jump shots can't win championships", but in the end they were slapped in the face by the Warriors.

And now, Curry's performance has shocked them again.

When Hansen left the court, some memories were awakened in his mind. He remembered the Warriors' classic "Warriors Three Crazy" and "Three Quarters Punch and One Wave".

The Warriors rely on crazy speed and play a plus version of the run-and-gun tactics centered around Curry's personal offensive threat.

Because they shot enough three-pointers and they were accurate, they could easily widen the score.

When they're on a good run, like tonight, you can't beat them just by relying on your success rate in positional warfare.

Although the time is not yet ripe and he will get into a rhythm that is more suitable for the Warriors, he knows that he must make changes.

After the timeout, JR replaced Garnett.

"Defend! Defend!"

The cheers of Warriors fans rang out at the scene, and Curry's previous three-pointer made the fans at the scene excited.

Han Sen held the ball and asked TT to set a pick-and-roll, but he was at the three-point line.

He did not go inside through the pick-and-roll, but instead stepped back to the three-point line and shot directly.

This choice was very sudden, considering that his previous attacks before tonight were all moving inwards.

But Green pounced on him.

Everyone knows that Han Sen has three points.

But more importantly, the location where this pick-and-roll occurs is all too familiar to the Warriors.

Han Sen was interfered by Green when he shot.

Green's defensive ability is much stronger than Cunningham's.

But that also made Hansen feel the effect of [Primary School Students' Blessing] more clearly in the air.

There was interference, but the impact on his shooting was not obvious, just like the three-point training in the Brown era.

"Shh!"

With the crisp sound of the ball entering the net, the cheers from the audience came to an abrupt end.

The Cavaliers bench was in an uproar, and Hansen's three-pointer was enough to quench their thirst!

Irving was also encouraged. He kept a close eye on Curry and prevented him from speeding up. When Green tried to pass the ball to the basket, he also blocked Curry's receiving route.

Green finally passed the ball to Thompson who had a chance to run out with the help of an off-ball screen on the other side, but Thompson's shot was interfered by Hansen and failed to hit the target.

The Warriors' three-point shooting finally stopped!

Tucker protected the defensive rebound, and it was the Cavaliers' turn to launch a defensive counterattack.

Hansen received the ball in the backcourt and made a long pass. The basketball passed through the crowd and landed in the hands of Irving at the front. Irving quickly shook off Curry, jumped early, and made a layup to score.

After scoring the goal, Owen finally found an outlet to vent his emotions and roared when he turned back.

After returning from the timeout, the Cavaliers launched a 5-0 offensive and tied the score at 67!
But before they could be happy for a while, Curry stepped on the front line of the logo and made another sniper shot.

Irving lunged forward this time, but Curry's shot was too fast.

The word "second ejaculation" is not enough to describe it, it is instant ejaculation.

"Shh!"

Because of the low shooting point, Curry's super long parabola is not very high, but he can still make it.

And this was his third three-pointer in this quarter. You should know that he only made three three-pointers in the first half!

The key to the "Warriors' 3-point madness" is that Curry played crazily enough in the third quarter!

After hitting the three-pointer, Curry turned around and did his signature celebration: shaking his head and shoulders.

This is a high.

The Oracle Arena, which had just lost momentum due to the score being tied, was once again in a state of excitement.

As O'Neal said, Curry is changing the sport.

The Cavaliers advanced to the frontcourt again, and the person defending Hansen changed from Thompson to Iguodala.

Iguodala's defensive ability and experience are much richer than Thompson. He not only defended Hansen on the three-point line, but also kept moving sideways to restrict Hansen from receiving the ball.

By the time Han Sen received the ball, he was forced to the position of the logo.

After Hansen received the ball, he continued to make pick-and-roll gestures. Iguodala saw it and looked back at Thompson who was about to come up, preparing to make a pick-and-roll in advance.

But at this moment, Han Sen did something that no one expected.

He actually stepped on the logo and threw it away!
The three-point shot is all about touch. Han Sen was more testing his touch with the top three-point shot just now.

Unlike Curry, Hansen's three-pointer is a two-stage shot, which is not that fast, and the parabola is much higher because of the long distance.

It felt like launching an intercontinental missile.

"Shh!"

But the same thing is, it hits the target with one shot!
There was dead silence.

Han Sen turned and looked at Curry.

Come on, let’s snipe at the middle gate!

(End of this chapter)