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Chapter 288 The Familiar Smell of Gunpowder, the Familiar Moment of Victory
Shortly after the start of the second quarter, JR lived up to expectations, opening his scoring account with a stylish fadeaway jumper after a series of crossover dribbles.

It must be said that among perimeter players of the same era, in terms of sheer style of play, JR Smith was no less impressive than Kobe Bryant.

But the warrior possesses the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

That night, the Lakers also suffered a devastating defeat.

Just as Qin Yue remembered.

Entering his second season, Klay Thompson, whose confidence you never need to worry about, is gradually showing signs of becoming a player like LeBron James.

Before his Achilles tendon injury, if one had to describe Klay in a single sentence...
That would undoubtedly be the most fitting description of Zhang Wei's usual phrase, "Wow, he really dares to shoot that ball, and wow, he actually makes it."

On the court, the Lakers are on offense.

When Paul was being harassed by Jack, he could only transform into James, the embodiment of the jump pass technique, and was forced to pass the buck.

On the flank, facing this sudden "scapegoat".

Klay, who was determined to get the ball, caught it and pulled it up without making any adjustments.

Swish-!
Oracle Arena.

Klay Thompson's sudden outburst allowed the Lakers to successfully keep the score close.

In the latter part of the second quarter, as Qin Yue prepared to return to the court, Barkley on TNT remarked, "If it weren't for Messiah, I have no doubt that this Lakers team has the opportunity to create their second dynasty in the 21st century."

"Hey Charles, have you forgotten about the Knicks?" O'Neal reminded him from the side.

Yes, without Qin Yue, it's not just the Lakers who would have a chance to win the championship.

Watching Qin Yue stride forward on the long staircase leading to the gods, James, who could only watch from the sidelines in front of the television, couldn't help but wonder if he had already begun to build the foundation to surpass Jordan if it weren't for Qin Yue.

From the chosen one to the forsaken.

James knows very well that what he lacks has never been the raw talent that Durant constantly criticizes.

After all, considering only individual ability...
Among contemporary small forwards, James doesn't believe he's really worse than anyone else.

It's just that in this era dominated by Qin Yue, without comparison there is no harm, and James lost completely in that battle with Durant.

Now, as the loser, James can only lie low in the darkness, and the more he thinks about it, the angrier he gets.

Then the problem is coming.

Is James angry because he himself is not up to par?
The answer is obviously no.

Because of years of brainwashing by the media and himself, just like James later believed that those calls against him were the league targeting him.

Having been packaged as a "commodity" for so long, James has long lost sight of himself, and to this day, all he feels is bad luck.

Unlike Qin Yue, who became the king of the Bay Area as soon as he joined the league and enjoyed immense favor in the bustling Bay Area.

Unlike Durant, who was born with roots in New York and is the unshakable savior in the hearts of Knicks fans.

Unlike Kobe, who had Shaq to rely on in his early years and the Lakers' reputation to gain a group of strong teammates in his later years.

He was LeBron who simply wasted his prime years in Cleveland and then lost everything in New York with one wrong move.

In this era ruled by the tyrant Qin Yue.

No one sympathized with him.

No one pitied him.

Even now, everyone is taking pleasure in negating everything about him.

At that moment, James absolutely hated this damn world.

That's right!

It wasn't my fault!
It's this fucked-up world!
The camera returns to Oracle Arena.

In the first half, the Lakers-Warriors battle ended with a floater from Paul, bringing the score to 58-61.

Intermission.

In the home team's locker room, Warriors head coach Malone even took out a tactical board and explained tactics to the players, which was quite rare for him.

"Mike, do we need to adjust our defense? The Lakers got a lot of three-point opportunities in the first half by exploiting the blind spots on both sides," assistant coach Hollins reminded Malone after he finished adjusting the offensive setup.

Upon hearing this, Malone shook his head and said, "That's exactly what the Lakers are hoping for. Right now, we only have Messiah to rely on in the paint. If we expand our defense too much, the Gasol brothers will definitely be able to do whatever they want in our paint."

Malone knows very well that there is no such thing as a perfect defense in this world.

Especially when facing a Lakers team whose offensive and defensive levels are comparable to the Warriors.

After halftime, the Warriors took the lead in the second half.

Curry's step-back sniping move was clearly fouled by Paul's defender.

However, Curry, noticing that the referee did not intend to blow the whistle, did not choose to argue with the referee this time.

The Lakers then went on offense.

Pau Gasol moved up to the high post to set up Paul, and in doing so, he also took Qin Yue with him.

Seeing this, Paul noticed that the Warriors were retreating on both sides to ensure their interior defense, and decisively passed the ball to Kobe.

After receiving the ball, Kobe Bryant sank a three-pointer from beyond the arc.

61:61.

TNT's Barkley said, "While the Lakers players certainly deserve our respect in this game, were the referees' calls too biased towards the Lakers?"

O'Neal, who was standing nearby and knew that Barkley was criticizing Paul's foul earlier, said, "Charles, you know, wrong calls have always been part of the NBA."

On the court, the Warriors are on offense.

Instead of arguing with the referee, Curry noticeably increased his movement frequency during this play, when using Qin Yue's screen.

In real life, objective injustices are destined to be unchangeable by human effort.

Because wherever there are people, there is a world of its own.

How can the martial arts world possibly achieve absolute fairness and justice?
What is the Jianghu?

The world of martial arts is full of ups and downs.

So, since we can't change the world of martial arts...

Curry, who has been keeping a clear head at this moment, naturally needs to change himself first.

High position, near the top of the arc.

As if rowing against the current, Curry, with a release speed so fast it was almost invisible, fired this astonishing three-pointer before Paul could complete his screen.

Swish-!
Without a doubt, this is the Stephen Curry that Qin Yue remembers.

Pulled over.

C passed.

But I've never backed down.

"Well done."

On the court, after suppressing the thought of "wanting to kick Curry to death" that he had just felt a second ago, Qin Yue imitated Duncan by rubbing Curry's head and said this.

Do not ask.

The answer is that even as Curry's teammate, Qin Yue acknowledges that this three-pointer was a crucial one.

But regarding Curry's shot selection just now
Qin Yue still has a huge question mark.

Next, it was the Lakers' turn to attack.

Paul cleared a path with a powerful punch and then lightly pushed Curry as he dribbled back between his legs before pulling up for a jump shot.

It was obvious that Paul had unleashed all his skills that night.

"Chris, it's a waste of your talent that Shaolin Temple doesn't invite you to be a martial monk."

In response, Qin Yue couldn't help but criticize Paul, saying, "Do you know that compared to you, Bruce Lee can only be considered a second-rate martial arts star?"

Seeing this, "Kung Fu King" Paul did not take Qin Yue's complaints to heart.

Instead, he further increased his defensive level against Curry based on the referee's tacit approval.

Fortunately, Curry doesn't have a cylinder.

This does not mean that Curry does not have cylinders.

On the court, after Paul violated Curry's cylinder during an off-ball defense, even the referees, who tacitly allowed for a higher level of physicality in this game, had to call a foul on Paul. Additionally, it's worth mentioning...
At that moment, Curry's married wife, Ayesha, was the most nervous person in the entire arena.

After all, it doesn't matter if Curry gets hurt.

But if Curry gets hurt, that's a major event that affects Ayesha's life and happiness.

On the court, Curry was in so much pain that he lay on the floor for several minutes before he could recover.

As the culprit who almost caused Curry to switch to the WNBA, Paul was immediately retaliated against by Qin Yue after the game restarted.

At a high position, Paul, trying to get around the block, took a solid elbow from Qin Yue.

Although this elbow strike, imbued with Qin Yue's years of skill, was not as domineering as Atai's "One Elbow Opens the Heavenly Gate".

However, Paul's face was suddenly covered in blood, which caused the game to be interrupted again for several minutes.

During a timeout on TNT, Shaquille O'Neal remarked, "These two were really college teammates? I get the feeling they're like enemies."

Barkley laughed and said, "This is the kind of game we want to see. Since it's the Western Conference Finals, how can it not be exciting?"

At Oracle Arena, Paul returned to the court after receiving treatment to stop the bleeding.

This offensive possession, which was interrupted for nearly fifteen minutes due to injuries to both Curry and Paul, was ultimately ended by Qin Yue.

The Lakers then went on offense.

Paul, who harbored no resentment towards Qin Yue for his heavy blows, pulled up for a quick stop and scored again.

Well known.

The Wake Forest Twins never hold grudges.

Because whether it's Paul or Qin Yue.

They all like to settle scores on the spot.

On the court, the Warriors are on offense.

During the screen, Qin Yue, who was suddenly hit hard in the waist by Paul, received the ball and shot it into the basket despite the pain.

"Is this your response?"

Furthermore, after scoring, Qin Yue, who was trying to be tough and show off in front of his brother, didn't forget to tease Paulo, saying, "Your fists are softer than the girl I slept with yesterday."

In Oakland, the escalating physical confrontation between Qin Yue and Paul became a microcosm of this quarter's game.

In this game, which was already far more intense than usual, the two Lakers teams, who kept elbowing each other to prevent their opponents from scoring, perfectly demonstrated what it means to fight and play basketball at the same time.

As the level of competition increased, both the Lakers and Warriors inevitably saw a decline in their shooting percentages in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Lakers and Warriors were tied 19-19.

After the break, the Lakers were led by Pau Gasol, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul.

The Warriors are led by Curry, Butler, and two Greens.

Initially, when the Warriors sent out rookie Draymond Green, Barkley of TNT was worried that the young player would not be able to adapt to the intensity of the game.

But in the final quarter, as soon as he stepped onto the court, "Iron Bull" responded to Barkley with his natural ease under such physical pressure.

On the defensive end, Green, with his incredible wingspan, first blocked Klay Thompson's shot.

In Qin Yue's previous life, many players responsible for attacking the basket for the team would look down on Green, a short and stocky center, because of his height and clumsy jumping ability.

It's worth noting that Green's wingspan is nearly 220 centimeters.

What does such a wingspan mean?
This means that as long as Green can make physical contact with the offensive player, he can protect the rim by virtue of his wingspan, even when no one can jump at full power.

The Warriors then launched their attack.

With the referee's tacit approval, Green shoved his butt into Klay's face during a pick-and-roll, instantly creating an open three-point opportunity for another Green.

In later generations, many fans only know that Green's signature move is the butt-stick screen.

Little did they know that Green's behind-the-back screen also depended on the occasion and timing.

For example, this night.

Green, who observed from the sidelines that the referees were particularly lenient towards physical contact, did not hesitate to use a "butt-throwing" maneuver to gain an advantage.

Green hits a three-pointer from the outside.

This three-pointer, swishing through the net, successfully broke the deadlock in the game.

However, when it comes to Pau Gasol, who transforms into "Spanish Olajuwon" whenever Qin Yue is not on the defensive, Tie Niu has few options at this moment.

In the Warriors' paint, Pau Gasol used elegant footwork to outmaneuver Draymond Green before turning and scoring a layup.

"I knew it! That damned Spaniard has always been a bully who preys on the weak!"

On the sidelines, on the Warriors' bench, Brown complained about how he was always getting his defense broken whenever he faced the Gasol brothers.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue laughed and said, "So you mean you're also that coward?"

"."

In fact, Pau Gasol has long been a seriously underrated inside player.

Admittedly, in terms of scoring inside, Pau Gasol has always given the impression of being a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong, regardless of the stage of his career.

But in the NBA, being able to bully the weak and fear the strong is a skill in itself.

After all, some players, when facing Jose Barea who is actually just over 170 centimeters tall, would even use their back-to-the-basket moves, which they believe are no less than Jordan's, to help the opponent become a mountain in Puerto Rico.

In the NBA, where superhumans abound, do you think you can bully the weak?

Excuse me.

First, you need to have that ability.

In the final quarter, the Lakers and Warriors, who had been neck and neck in the score, substituted their respective lineups for the final battle halfway through the quarter.

The only difference was that, in the decisive moments, the Warriors used veteran Jamison instead of Kwame Brown.

Mike Malone made a risky move that night.

Because when facing this Lakers team, with only Qin Yue in the paint, they were destined to be unable to stop the Lakers' inside offense.

However, this risky move also hit the Lakers' Achilles' heel.

On the court, it's the Warriors' offensive possession.

The Lakers, who never gave Curry a chance to receive the ball, had to abandon their half-double-team strategy against Qin Yue the moment he received the ball, due to Jamison's ability to clear the way.

Then, Pau Gasol, who was incredibly dominant in the first half of the fourth quarter.
It transformed into a chair right in front of Qin Yue.

Qin Yue thought about it and then moved on.

Sit down if you want.

A chair you can step on whenever you want.

In this lifetime, time will repeatedly prove the value of Garnett's previous assessment of Qin Yue.

That title is
The assessment is that "in front of him, we are all just roadside figures."

Oracle Arena.

Dribble between the legs and pull back.

Re-start the fast ball.

At that moment, did you think Qin Yue was thinking about Pau Gasol?
No.

The basketball god is clearly orchestrating the defense, deciding whether or not to help Marc Gasol.

And the Lakers' restricted area.

GOAT has made it all the way here.

Bang-dang——!
"Now, it's time for that familiar segment again," Barkley said after taking a deep breath at TNT.

O'Neal said from the side, "If the Lakers can't get past the Messiah, then they are destined to never beat this Warriors team."

……

PS: Update delivered. (TnT, Hua Zi! Why are you so disappointing? Okay, I'll stop pretending. Actually, I've been a Pacers fan for fifty years, you know. I've loved the Pacers since the Billy Knight era, and I still do today.)

(End of this chapter)